Public housing in the Australian Capital Territory

Typical Canberra public housing is built on a limited number of plans repeated through an area of a suburb, with two or three bedrooms and constructed in unfinished brick veneer.

The term Govie (pronounced guvvie) is a colloquialism used to describe the typical Canberran government built house.

The earliest post-ACT housing in Canberra was the work camps for the labourers brought in to construct the new capital.

A few permanent cottages were constructed at Acton in the teen years of the twentieth century and by 1912 the timber accommodation known as "The Bachelors Quarters' was occupied.

In 1921/22 the remaining buildings of the Molonglo Internment Camp (now Fyshwick) were converted into Canberra's first temporary settlement for workmen.

These few houses were quite insufficient for the number of construction workers living in the territory and in 1925 the FCC (Federal Capital Commission) made available 80 sites at Riverbourne (south side of the Molonglo River 3 miles from the Queanbeyan Post Office).

At Riverbourne and Russell Hill (modern suburb of Campbell) where another 120 sites were made available men again were expected to construct their own cottages.

Single men continued to live under canvas until 1926 when the tents in the majority of settled camps were replaced with small cubicles constructed from baltic pine.

People were encouraged to buy their houses for the cost of construction only and any rent paid was included in the payment.

The Hotel Canberra was the first hostel to be built - in 1925 - to house politicians and even if a workman could afford the tariff he would not be allowed to stay there.

The Federal Capital Commission was formed in 1925 to prepare the city for the transfer of public servants and their families.

The commission had been preceded by the Federal Capital Advisory Committee which had overseen the commencement of construction of Canberra following the termination of the Walter Burley Griffin's contract.

The majority of houses constructed for those transferring to Canberra were built by private contractors with some day labour.

Facing building supply shortages and ever-increasing demand for accommodation, alternate methods of housing construction were investigated.

In 1947 disused sleeping huts from Tocumwal air base were transported to Canberra and refitted as family homes.

The huts had been built originally to resemble houses rather than barracks to avoid aerial detection and bombing.

Extensions, decks, bagging (cement render) and painting have re-made the Canberra Govie into a different yet still distinctive style of house.

[2] During the early years of the ACT the government built small forestry settlements at Uriarra, Pierces Creek and Stromlo.