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Queensland Government’s new Cairns Rapid Accommodation and Apprenticeship Centre set to begin manufacturing modular homes to address housing crisis.
The new Cairns Rapid Accommodation and Apprenticeship Centre (RAAC) in Portsmith is the next plank in the state government’s Homes for Queenslanders plan. Based on a similar modular construction facility in Eagle Farm, Brisbane, the centre will focus on building modular homes to meet the demand for social housing in the area.
Scheduled to open in March 2024, the Cairns RAAC is expected to play a crucial role in the government’s target of building 53,500 social homes by 2046. The centre will focus on assembling complete homes, bathroom modules, flatpack kitchens, and timber frames for social and government housing. It will also serve as an educational hub to train workers in residential construction, a sector currently facing a shortage of skilled labour.
Premier Steven Miles emphasised the importance of the facility in achieving the government’s social housing goals. He stated, “In order to achieve our social housing goals, the government needs to find innovative ways to build homes like modular housing, and build our construction capacity with more apprentices. This new facility will do just that.” He further highlighted that over 100 modular homes have already been built statewide, demonstrating the potential impact of the new centre.
Housing and Public Works Minister Meaghan Scanlon pointed out the significance of the facility in a region like Cairns, which is prone to heavy rainfall and natural disasters. She explained that the factory would enable continuous construction regardless of weather conditions, thereby accelerating the delivery of homes. Scanlon also mentioned the importance of rebuilding QBuild, the state’s building and maintenance authority, after previous staff reductions.
The Cairns RAAC is also expected to provide numerous jobs for tradespeople and apprentices in the region, additionally, training apprentices in modern methods of construction which will benefit the far north’s construction industry.
