Arabic version: أستراليا الغربية تموّل برج شقق للإيجار في وسط بيرث

According to ABC News, the Western Australian government will spend more than $100 million on a 30-storey rental apartment building in Perth’s CBD, saying the development will help address the city’s housing shortage. The project is planned for Roe Street, next to Perth Arena, and is expected to be completed by 2029.

The government said the building will contain 174 one- and two-bedroom rental apartments. Of those, 139 are planned for affordable housing and 35 for social housing. It said the project is one of 21 apartment developments under construction across Western Australia, where 1,500 apartments are set to become available.

Housing Minister John Carey said the state government was “throwing everything” at accelerating housing supply, with support from the federal government’s Housing Australia Future Fund. He said the aim was to enable more than 40 build-to-rent projects across WA. Build-to-rent developments are purpose-built for the long-term rental market; only two are currently operational in Perth.

Once built, the apartment building will be sold to a community housing provider, the government said. Carey said the provider would set rental prices. Anglicare WA chief executive Mark Glasson welcomed the announcement, describing additional social and affordable housing stock as “sorely needed” and urging the government to continue its Rent Relief Program and increase construction efforts.