Affordable housing in the regions

The State Government has signed a deal with the City of Karratha and transferred 13,563sqm of suitable Crown land for the development of service worker accommodation.

The City of Karratha has taken ownership of three underutilised Crown land parcels in Bulgarra for housing development to meet the growing demand for affordable housing in the region to accommodate service workers and the expanding resources sector.

Under the deal, the state has agreed to provide the land at a 23 per cent discount, equating to around $470,000 off market price.

The State Government has demonstrated action on responding to demand from the growing resources sector to create more service worker accommodation.

The City of Karratha plans to facilitate the development of about 44 medium-density residential dwellings targeted at medium-income earners to deliver more affordable housing options for service workers. Under the agreement, the city has three years to commence construction on each of the land parcels.

There has also been an investment of $794,000 from the North-West Aboriginal Housing Fund (NWAHF) to enable Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation (RRKAC) to deliver its culturally secure, in-situ housing support program.

The RRKAC has developed the innovative support service program to support a minimum of 28 families over three years in Karratha, Roebourne and Wickham.

The pilot service will build capacity and financial independence through tailored, culturally secure support services focusing on financial and household management.

Support will also include training to increase financial literacy, setting goals and navigating the financing and purchasing process.

The aim is to support Aboriginal families to move from social and unsuitable housing into long-term stable and affordable private housing options.

The investment is being provided through the $200 million NWAHF, an initiative by the McGowan Government, supported by the Federal Government.

The NWAHF was established to leverage investment for the innovative use of housing and associated services to build opportunity, prosperity and wellbeing, with a strong focus on education and employment for Aboriginal people in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions.

Master Builders Association of Western Australia (MBA WA) supports all investments made by the State Government to support regional housing.

MBA WA has dedicated regional managers in place to service and support its members, which also allows us to advocate for them on a local level.

If you would like to become a Master Builders member, speak to our membership team on

9476 9800 or email

membership@mbawa.com to receive the latest industry news.

Q&A with MBA Housing and Construction Director Jason Robertson

The Question

My house project is still going through the council for approvals.

I have been advised it needs both building and planning approval, but my best friend said this could take months. Is this correct?

The Answer

With statutory (required) approvals, there are a lot of ifs, buts and maybes.

The building approval, or the building permit as it is formally known as, is administered by a permit authority – most often a local council – and there are several options available with differing timeframes.

As a generalisation, a building application can be processed within 10 business days or quicker, in certain circumstances.

What does happen often, however, is other necessary approvals –outside that of the actual building approval itself – impact on the timeframes for the project to be assessed and the ability to start commencing the actual works onsite.

Other approvals that may apply to proposed building work include planning, health and, sometimes, other approvals required by the local government under other written laws.

In some instances, a formal planning approval that is not overly complex can take 60 calendar days to determine, where no consultation with other property owners is required, and 90 calendar days if any consultation or referral is required.

The building process is designed to be as quick as possible but there are, as stated above, other matters often needing to be sorted out before the building approval is given.

The State Government has embarked on an action plan to have significant planning reforms undertaken, with many already being put in place, which will see benefit for homeowners and industry alike.

Master Builders Association of Western Australia itself has repeatedly called for a fast-track system in planning to be developed to align processing times far better between both planning and building departments.

For advice on approval requirements for a specific building project, speak with the experts and consider contacting the relevant permit authority.

Good luck with the project.

CONTACT Master Builders WA, 9476 9800, www.mbawa.com