Regional city’s largest employer declares plans to grow if it would overcome housing shortage

An upgrade of Frew Meals World’s Stawell plant is determined to create 250 new jobs and nearly double the positioning’s manufacturing capability.

The corporate’s plans to magnify its lamb processing exclaim over the subsequent three years is expected to label between $40 million and $50 million.

The proposal includes the construction of a new cool room and automation equipment to wait on with packing and loading product onto vehicles.

Nevertheless Stawell’s largest employer, which on the total employs nearly 500 workers, says or no longer it’s struggling to fill about 100 vacancies.

Managing director Robert Frew beforehand told the ABC an lodging shortage used to be making it exhausting to design workers.

He acknowledged the vacancies had resulted in a 20 per cent drop in manufacturing however he expected the positions might well well be stuffed by October.

Mr Frew acknowledged workers had temporary lodging at a local motel and apply for leases as rapidly as properties in the home became accessible.

The processing plant, which is rated undoubtedly one of Australia’s absolute top quality facilities, already affords meat to Aldi and Woolworths.

The corporate hopes to rent an additional 250 folks over the subsequent three years to bring its crew to 750 folks.

The upgrades will allow it to develop lamb exports across Europe and North The USA.

Land releases can’t come fleet adequate

Regional Construction Minister Mary-Anne Thomas visited the Stawell facility to exclaim the upgrades and attributed the housing shortage to the “as soon as-in-a expertise” migration of 20,000 folks from Melbourne to the areas.

She acknowledged having adequate housing used to be basically the responsibility of native authorities who had been required to ensure there had been 15 years of provide.

Ms Thomas acknowledged the exclaim authorities used to be working with the council to free up land for pattern.

She acknowledged the authorities used to be investing $25 million in 24 housing tasks across Victoria, which is ready to lead to the pattern of 160 housing plenty in Ararat and 120 plenty in Stawell and provide housing for more than 400 folks.

“The message I would ship out to builders is that of us are crying out for homes,” she acknowledged.

“There are some enormous opportunities in rural and regional Victoria to electrify housing stock that will likely be taken up by of us that are taking a insist to permanently stumble on in rural and regional Victoria.”