$27.5M Govt grant-backed aged care project lodges DA
UnitingCare Queensland has lodged a Development Application for a new 42-bed aged care home in Cairns.
The proposed 42-bed Pinangba Hollingsworth Elders Village will relocate the long-running Hollingsworth service from its current site in Portsmith to a new site in Westcourt and is thanks to a $27.5 million Federal Government capital grant for the project last year.
The redevelopment will provide culturally designed residential aged care for First Nations Elders and replace the ageing Hartley Street facility with a purpose-built home designed around community and modern care.
UnitingCare secured the grant through the Commonwealth’s Aged Care Capital Assistance Program (ACCAP) in September 2025, with the project receiving the third-largest grant among the 66 projects funded. UnitingCare is also making an undisclosed financial contribution towards the cost of the development.
The new village is being developed in partnership with Pinangba, UnitingCare’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service arm, alongside local First Nations representatives.
Plans show the home will feature small household-style living arrangements, with residents sharing domestic-scale kitchens, dining and living areas rather than traditional institutional layouts.
Supporting culturally informed care
Communal meeting spaces, culturally informed artwork and landscaping, and climate-sensitive design suited to the tropical environment are also proposed.
Pinangba General Manager Andrea Fox said the redevelopment would continue the long-standing role the Hollingsworth service plays within the community.
“Hollingsworth has always been more than a building. It’s a place where our Elders come together, where stories are shared and where culture is lived every day,” Andrea said.
“This new village will carry that spirit forward while giving our residents the modern, culturally grounded care they deserve.”
The Cairns project is one of dozens funded through the Commonwealth’s Aged Care Capital Assistance Program, which provides grants to help projects that are close to financially viable proceed to construction.
The development highlights the role that capital grants now play in unlocking aged care construction – even as questions grow about whether top-ups alone can deliver the scale of new beds Australia will need.
BlueCare is the health and community services arm of UnitingCare Queensland. It operates 46 residential aged care homes and in May 2025, sold seven aged care homes and four co-located retirement villages to Respect.
