New Wonthaggi worker accommodation nears completion
A state-of the-art accommodation facility for health workers at Wonthaggi Hospital is on track to welcome its first residents by October.
A MAJOR boost for local healthcare is just around the corner as the state-of-the-art accommodation facility for health workers at the Wonthaggi Hospital nears completion.
Minister for Regional Development Michaela Settle and Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale visited the site to inspect progress on this vital accommodation project, which is on track to welcome its first residents this spring.
The purpose-built complex features 20 rooms designed with high-level accessibility and versatility in mind. The layout includes dedicated all-abilities rooms and communal family spaces, ensuring the infrastructure can adapt to the diverse needs of visiting and relocating medical staff for decades to come.
"We’ll be here in October," Minister Settle said during the site tour. "It has 20 rooms with really good consideration having gone into the planning. There’s all-abilities rooms, family spaces, and I think just having that versatility will mean this facility will serve for years and years to come."
Backed by a $5 million grant from the State Government’s $250 million Regional Worker Accommodation Fund, the project has been described as a landmark project.
It stands as the very first health-worker initiative to be approved under the state’s expedited Development Facilitation Program, which fast-tracks shovel-ready projects of economic and social significance. The facility addresses a critical regional housing bottleneck for the local health sector.
By providing dedicated on-site options Bass Coast Health stated it would be easier to attract and retain skilled clinicians, nurses, and allied health professionals.
"This fund has meant that local communities can identify what their needs are," Minister Settle explained. "There is obviously pressure on housing out in the community and so being able to bring a skilled workforce in has been an issue."
Beyond benefiting the local hospital network, the project is expected to deliver a positive ripple effect throughout the broader Wonthaggi rental market. By moving health staff out of private rentals, more homes will become available for local families and workers in other booming sectors.
"At the moment, you provide accommodation through the private rental market," Minister Settle noted. "So this facility will not only mean a little bit of savings by not having to rent, but it also means that there’s more houses out there on the market for the general community."
With Wonthaggi and the surrounding Bass Coast experiencing strong tourism and population growth, the demand for housing remains incredibly high across all industries.
"Places like this are so gorgeous to visit and live in that you have a huge tourist market," Minister Settle added. "We need our hospitality workers and our health workers all to have good places to live. To be here to see it delivered on time and on budget is just wonderful to see."
Alongside private living quarters, the building incorporates shared indoor and outdoor communal areas. These spaces have been purposefully designed to foster a highly supportive, convenient, and social environment for frontline workers.
Local officials emphasised that secure housing is a critical tool for regional development. By offering modern on-site living options, the health service aims to drastically improve its recruitment and retention of skilled clinicians.
This influx of medical talent will allow Wonthaggi Hospital to expand its local care options, ensuring residents access vital treatments closer to home. Additionally, the dedicated complex provides a significant secondary benefit to the broader community.
State leaders and health executives have strongly backed the $13 million investment.
Minister Settle highlighted that building physical hospitals is only half the battle. "You can build a hospital, but you need that skilled workforce right here.”
From a local delivery perspective, Bayside Health Regional Care Group CEO Louise Sparkes labelled the facility a complete "game-changer". Sparkes noted that providing high-quality housing is now essential to attracting top clinical professionals.
Minister Settle confirmed that construction had started on accommodation for hospitality workers on Phillip Island. The Victorian State Government's Regional Worker Accommodation Fund is actively backing the accommodation project in Cowes developed by Moda to complement the Isle of Wight hotel redevelopment.
