Educational outcomes in the remote community of Bidyadanga, 180 kilometres southwest of Broome, have received a major boost, with three new Government Regional Officer Homes reaching practical completion.
The new properties will be critical to attracting and retaining teachers in the Bidyadanga community, which is home to approximately 800 people.
The new homes consist of two four-bedroom, two-bathroom houses and one three-bedroom, two-bathroom home.
The homes are being built under the McGowan Government’s $200 million investment in the Government Regional Officer Housing (GROH) program that provides housing to government workers in regional areas to ensure vital services can be delivered.
All three homes are close to existing GROH homes and the La Grange Remote Community School.
The steel-framed homes were designed by architectural firm Broadhurst & Bott Architects and feature easy care gardens, security, and landscaped, low-maintenance gardens native to the Kimberley area. They also feature an 8.1 star energy efficiency rating.
The State Government partnered with local building company B&S Impact Constructions to build the new houses.
The project supported 37 local jobs; seven of these involved NorthWest builders and 30 regional subcontractors. In addition, 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island contractors worked 330 hours on the project.
As stated by Housing Minister John Carey:
“This Government continues to invest in regional housing, so we can grow regional communities to attract teachers and other critical government workers to jobs across Western Australia.
“These new houses are an attractive option for teachers to relocate to this unique part of the State to provide an essential service for students in this community.
“Through the construction of these three new houses we have also created 37 local jobs, including NorthWest builders, engaged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island contractors and regional subcontractors.
“These three new homes will help meet the demand for more GROH housing for teachers, and provide the flexibility of being able to meet the needs of either families or sharing singles.
“This is all part of our Government’s $2.4 billion investment in social housing and homelessness measures in the coming four years and $200 million over four years in GROH housing delivery.”
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“The McGowan Government’s $200 million investment to expand the State’s GROH housing stock and improve properties over the coming four years is significant.
“I’m pleased that our education system is being further supported with new builds so we can continue to arrange the best possible housing for teachers and school staff in regional and remote areas.”
As stated by Member for Kimberley Divina D’Anna:
“It is fantastic to see these three properties reach practical completion, and it highlights the McGowan Government’s commitment to supporting remote Aboriginal communities.
“This will be a boost to education in Bidyadanga, as there will be greater capacity to attract and retain teachers with quality new housing.”
