Defence housing constructions power ahead in Victoria

Weeks of wet weather has done little to slow the progress of new Defence houses under construction in Victoria. In total, 62 properties are being built by Defence Housing Australia (DHA) as part of the Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan.

The houses are being built in Melbourne and regional Victoria, with the construction program injecting more than $17 million into Victoria’s communities and local construction industry over the next two years.

Local building company Orbit Homes has been contracted by DHA to build 41 Defence houses. The company believes that while Victoria has not felt the impact of the economic downturn as much as some other states, the construction generated by the extra Defence houses has significantly helped local businesses.

“We have been able to maintain all of our staff and have also taken on extra people,” said a spokesperson for Orbit Homes.

“We have been able to create 15 to 20 local jobs because of this Defence construction.”

Associated Construction Services (ACS) in Gippsland has been contracted by DHA to build Defence houses in Sale. Since the Economic Stimulus Plan came in to effect, the small, local company has seen a general improvement in the amount of residential construction work available.

“Picking up the extra Defence houses has certainly helped us,” said Mr Mark Henry, Director of ACS Gippsland.

“It has kept the tradespeople we use fully occupied and in work. We use local tradies, and about 80 to 90 per cent of their work is currently with us,” explained Mr Henry.

Under the Economic Stimulus Plan, DHA is building 802 Defence houses across Australia. To date, over 140 houses have been completed.

The first nine Defence houses funded by the Economic Stimulus Plan in Victoria were completed last month. A further 27 houses are expected to be complete in December this year, with the remainder by June 2011. 

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