Australia has announced an investment to construct more than 400 more houses for the defense community in Townsville, Queensland.
This project will be fulfilled through three contracts signed between Canberra’s state military housing enterprise and local Townsville industry partners, delivering “new, high quality, and affordable” units for the country’s “largest garrison city.”
Work for the infrastructure effort will be facilitated under Australia’s broader New Builds Volume Leasing Program, which aims to rent out 100 free-standing houses, townhouses, and apartments for servicemembers and their families in the region annually over the next five years.
Each house is to be built within 30 kilometers (17 miles) of Townsville’s Lavarack Barracks. Work on the first 100 shelters is scheduled to be completed between 2025 and 2026.
“Australia’s Defence personnel are our most important capability, so it is vital they and their families are well supported with modern, fit for purpose housing in their local communities,” Defence Personnel and Veterans’ Affairs Minister Matt Keogh stated.
“The National Defence Strategy made clear that our domestic force posture must change, that we must “deliver a logistically networked and resilient set of bases, predominantly across the north of Australia to enhance force projection.”
“In order to support the movement of defence personnel and families north we’re expanding the available offering of homes in Townsville.”
Canberra’s latest initiative follows three separate contracts signed by the government in October to construct 550 additional houses in Garden Island in support of the same military accommodation program.