Work commences on the 1000th home to be built under the Social Housing Initiative

Construction has begun on the 1000th home to be built as part of the Social Housing Initiative under the Nation Building – Economic Stimulus Plan.

Work has begun on 18 one-bedroom apartments in Woolloongabba in Queensland, and as a result, one of these apartments will be the 1000th social housing dwelling constructed.

The apartments in Brisbane’s South are being constructed to accommodate individuals and couples who are finding it difficult to keep a roof over their heads. There is a high demand in this region for this type of accommodation.

The $4 million project is being built by a small Sunshine Coast based developer, Rockwood Imports, with the construction set to have a positive impact on the local economy.

Rockwood Imports developer Tim McGary says “The process from submission to starting on site has been a breeze. Having never worked with Government before I was expecting a long drawn out process. I have been amazed at the speed at which Project Services have worked with me to complete the process and get the construction moving.”

“Being a small business the majority of my consultancy work is outsourced” explained Mr McGary.

“Approximately 16 small businesses will be engaged during the project directly, and approximately 12-15 more will be engaged by those contractors as subcontractors. There will also be six apprentices employed on this project” Mr McGary said.

Construction of the 18 one-bedroom apartments is expected to be completed by April 2010.

More In Focus articles