Exploring New Approaches to Regional Housing Delivery

Regional Development Australia Townsville and North West Queensland and Regional Development Australia Tropical North, in partnership with prefabAUS, recently delivered Unlocking Prefab & Modular Housing in Regional Queensland on October 6 2026.

Housing availability remains a challenge across regional, rural and remote Queensland, affecting communities, businesses and their ability to attract and retain workers. Prefabricated and modular construction offers an alternative approach, with building components or complete modules manufactured off-site before being transported and installed.

While these methods can reduce on-site construction time and offer greater manufacturing efficiencies, challenges remain around cost, transport, planning approvals, financing and workforce capability.

This project focuses on understanding those challenges and identifying where modern methods of construction (MMC) could support housing delivery across regional Queensland.

Key Insights

More than 200 people registered for the Unlocking Prefab & Modular Housing in Regional Queensland webinar.

The event brought together government representatives, manufacturers, developers, researchers, financiers and regional stakeholders to examine opportunities and barriers to wider adoption.

Six key themes were explored:

• • Housing demand and pipeline certainty:
    Greater visibility of future housing demand could help manufacturers plan production, invest in capacity and improve delivery efficiencies.
• • Planning and regulation
    Clearer approval pathways and consistent requirements could help reduce uncertainty for manufacturers, developers and purchasers.
• • Manufacturing and supply chains
    Transport distances, site access and installation requirements influence delivery costs, while regional manufacturing presents potential opportunities.
• • Finance and investment
    Appropriate lending arrangements and greater awareness of financing options are important to supporting project delivery.
• • Workforce and skills
    Greater adoption will require skills across manufacturing, construction, transport, installation and associated trades.
• • Industry and consumer confidence
    Improving understanding of product quality, building standards and available housing options can support more informed decisions.

Individual session recordings are now available, covering government initiatives, industry perspectives, research, workforce and skills, and finance options.

During the webinar, participants were invited to share their perspectives through a series of live polls. The results are presented in the gallery below, providing a snapshot of participant insights and feedback on the topics discussed.