Housing & Accommodation Report
Housing and Accommodation in Victoria's Dairy Communities
Gardiner Foundation has released a new report examining housing and accommodation challenges across Victoria’s dairy regions, drawing on evidence gathered between 2021 and 2026.
The report consolidates findings from three streams of work: A baseline analysis of dairy region housing pressures, a market testing process delivered by Cushman & Wakefield, and a program of regional consultation and survey research conducted by Regional Housing Victoria across Northern Victoria, Gippsland and South West Victoria.
Housing shortages are systemic across all three dairy regions, with rental vacancy rates often near or below one per cent. The conditions are directly affecting dairy businesses, influencing recruitment, retention, productivity and succession planning. Nearly all survey respondents (96.5 per cent) identified housing as a significant or challenging problem.
The report finds strong market interest in delivering solutions where common barriers around land access, planning certainty, capital alignment and coordination can be addressed. No single sector can resolve the issue alone.
Gardiner’s role is to bring together the right partners and help translate strong industry intent into practical, place-based solutions. The report identifies two practical next steps:
- A demonstration housing project in a priority location with alignment on land, planning, roles and capital structure
- Practical guidelines to support farmers and local government to plan and deliver on-farm accommodation
Priority locations have been identified across Northern Victoria, South West Victoria and Gippsland where workforce demand and housing pressure strongly overlap.
Download the reports Housing and Accommodation in Victoria’s Dairy Communities, Gardiner Foundation 2026.