Indigenous Housing

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GUEST OBSERVER
The recent Closing the Gap <a href="https://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/" target="_blank">report</a> has highlighted the lack of progress in Indigenous affairs since the apology to the Stolen Generations a decade ago. Although not a specific target, safe, appropriate and affordable housing is acknowledged to be a fundamental building block for improving the well-being of Aboriginal people and closing the gap on many of the target indicators. For these reasons, it is unfortunate to learn the Commonwealth may be seeking to withdraw its support for remote Indigenous housing programs.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/research-and-policy-bulletins/216" target="_blank">Our research</a> and that of others provides evidence these programs are producing significant improvements. A sustained Commonwealth commitment to remote housing programs is essential for closing the gap.
Crowding and inadequate housing are linked to poor physical and mental health. They result in higher rates of infectious diseases such as rheumatic fever and eye and ear infections, emotional stress and conflict in the home.
<a href="http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/Publications/housing-health.pdf" target="_blank">A New South Wales study</a> demonstrated that in communities whose housing was improved, the rate of hospital admissions for infectious diseases was 40% less than in communities where no housing improvements had taken place. Other research has shown that poor housing has negative impacts on educational and employment outcomes.
Job is only half done
The central role of housing in Closing the Gap was acknowledged in 2007 when the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) established a 10-year A$5.5 billion remote Indigenous building and refurbishment program. This aimed to bring living standards in remote Indigenous communities to the same standards as comparable locations elsewhere, and to improve the management and maintenance of houses.
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206712/original/file-20180216-131006-15s0ul7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt="">
A Commonwealth review found houses like this one built under the remote housing program had improved conditions in Indigenous communities. Author provided
Last October, a federal government review of the remote Indigenous housing program found crowding has been reduced and housing management is more consistent and effective. But the job remains half done. Importantly, levels of household crowding (no more than two persons per bedroom) in remote communities are still around 37%.
<a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.ahuri.edu.au/research/research-and-policy-bulletins/216" target="_blank">Our research</a> tells a similar story. Crowding remains high in some locations. There are problems of fairness and efficiency in the application of mainstream rent settings. There are also questions about the most effective model of housing delivery and who should be responsible for it.
However, in the five communities we examined in three states, we found the program had led to significant improvements on a range of indicators. This was particularly evident when the housing was managed by an Indigenous housing provider that employed Indigenous people and provided a culturally adaptive service.
The complexities of remote settings mean that for these gains to be maintained and continued, the Commonwealth needs to maintain its commitment. Delivering and maintaining housing in remote locations is costly, so subsidies will be needed in most regions.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206711/original/file-20180216-131024-1rywae9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
On the road to the APY Lands in South Australia, a remote region where the costs of providing and maintaining housing require subsidies. Author provided
Commonwealth oversight is also essential to ensure appropriate regulatory frameworks are in place. Monitoring and quality assurance procedures are needed to maintain standards.
The building and refurbishment program was revised and renegotiated with the states and the Northern Territory in 2016. That program ends this June. To date, there has been no indication of what will replace it.
Most worrying are reports that Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland have been advised that remote Indigenous housing is a state responsibility and that Commonwealth funding may end when the current program ends. Even in the Northern Territory, which had seemed quarantined from these developments because of the extent of the housing crisis in remote communities there, there are signs that the Commonwealth may withdraw its commitment to addressing this.
If this is true, it’s likely the political commitment to improvement will wane, investment will decline and gains in housing standards will reverse.
At risk of losing hard-won gains
In 10 or 20 years’ time, we might once again be looking at a housing crisis in remote Indigenous communities.
To avoid such a policy failure – and its implications for Indigenous well-being – it’s time for governments to recognise that real progress can only be made if they stop turning Indigenous programs off after they have been positively evaluated. They need to accept that improvements will be slow and what’s needed is incremental, consistent and preferably bipartisan commitment over the medium to long term.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206714/original/file-20180216-130997-5b4sr8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
 Improvements have been delivered to remote communities, like this playground in the East Kimberley region, but much work remains to be done. Author provided
Current arrangements for remote Indigenous housing are not perfect, but our work suggests that, at this stage, a hybrid model is likely to be most effective. This is one that involves a partnership between state housing departments and knowledgeable, preferably Indigenous, third-party providers delivering a culturally appropriate service.
There are also opportunities to explore new models of housing delivery. These could leverage off the Indigenous estate and engage with the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community housing sector. Any model should contribute to the sustainability of communities by maximising opportunities for local partnerships and employment for local Indigenous people.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91835/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">Without ongoing Commonwealth engagement and investment, remote Indigenous housing policy risks remaining stuck in a depressing cycle of government neglect, public crisis, too-rapid policy development and change, and a return to failure. It will become yet another sorry example of political agendas obstructing good policy.
Daphne Habibis, Associate Professor, University of Tasmania
Peter Phibbs, Director, Henry Halloran Trust, University of Sydney
Rhonda Phillips, Adjunct Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR), The University of Queensland
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-wont-close-the-gap-if-the-commonwealth-cuts-off-indigenous-housing-support-91835" target="_blank">original article</a>.
Main photo: A remote community in the Cape York region of Queensland. Author provided
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We won't close the gap if the Commonwealth cuts off Indigenous housing support

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To achieve the Commonwealth Government's priorities of getting children into school, adults into jobs, and making communities safer, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&amp;C) supports Indigenous housing and home ownership.
Living in a stable environment has proven an efficient way of achieving these priorities.
In the submission to House of Representatives, Standing Committee on Economics Inquiry into Home Ownership, the PM&amp;C named a few topics that affects Indigenous Australians more than others like the administration and use of Indigenous land, availability of finance, employment opportunities and limited financial understanding and exposure to home ownership.
"The Government’s priorities include getting Indigenous Australians into jobs to encourage economic development and advancement for Indigenous people. Regular and increasing incomes will enable more Indigenous people to afford to buy their own homes and enjoy the benefits home ownership can bring. 
"The national rate of Indigenous home ownership is 36%, compared to 68% for the Australian population generally. In order for the rates of Indigenous and non-Indigenous home ownership to reach parity, approximately 65,000 new Indigenous households would need to enter home ownership."
More information can be found in the IBA submission article <a href="/news/home-ownership-barriers-greater-for-aboriginals-torres-strait-islanders">here</a>.
"The rate of remote and very remote Indigenous home ownership is lower than the national rate of Indigenous home ownership, at 18% in 2011. According to the 2011 Census, the rate of Indigenous home ownership slightly increased between the 2006 and 2011 Census. 
"Lower median incomes and higher rates of unemployment than other Australians are key factors affecting Indigenous Australians’ ability to own their own home. In 2011, the average disposable income for an Indigenous Australian was 70 per cent of the income earned by a non-Indigenous Australian.
"The proportion of Indigenous Australians aged 15-64 years who are employed fell from 53.8% in 2008 to 47.5% in 2012-13. At the same time, the proportion of employed non-Indigenous Australians rose, leading to the employment gap between Indigenous and non- Indigenous working age people widening from 21.2 to 28.1 percentage points. 
"Under the National Partnership on Remote Indigenous Housing (NPARIH), signed in 2008, the Commonwealth committed $5.5 billion to the construction and refurbishment of social housing in remote Indigenous communities. 
"Across Australia, 2,698 new houses and 7,071 refurbishments and rebuilds were completed as at 30 April 2015. Under the NPARIH, the Commonwealth’s investment in remote Indigenous housing has been used to leverage home ownership, for example by: 
<ul>
<li>jurisdictions agreeing to progress resolution of land tenure for remote Indigenous land to facilitate home ownership and economic development opportunities; </li>
<li>encouraging states to implement and support sale of social housing policies for existing tenants. A carefully-planned sale of social housing stock can boost the supply of properties in communities, help create a market and diversify housing options; </li>
<li>funding elements which support home ownership, such as cadastral surveys to define lots; and </li>
<li>focusing on regularising tenancy arrangements for remote community residents, which helps develop tenants’ readiness to maintain their own houses if they become home owners. </li>
</ul>
"The Government announced in the 2015-16 Budget its intention to replace the NPARIH with a new Remote Indigenous Housing Strategy (the Strategy) over three years totalling $1.1 billion. Home ownership objectives will form part of the new Strategy. Details of the new Strategy are currently being negotiated. 
"Current administration and use of Indigenous land can be a barrier to Indigenous home ownership. Only certain tenure types offer sufficient security of title and transferability for a lender (generally, IBA) to provide a loan. For example, in the NT, where approximately 50% of land is Indigenous-owned,six communities have agreed 99-year township leases (under section 19A of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) (ALRA)) which offer sufficient transferability for home ownership. 
"In these communities, the head lease is held by the Executive Director of Township Leasing and there can be long-term residential subleases. As an alternative to township leases, individuals can take out leases under section 19 of the ALRA in order to pursue home ownership. 
"However, unless these leases are taken out in communities where other factors are suitable for home ownership, such as where a real estate market exists, it is unlikely lending secured by this land will be possible. In Queensland, anecdotal evidence from some communities suggests while people are interested and apply to purchase social housing, the complex process means many people drop out before becoming home owners." 
According to the 2011 Census, 70% of people rely on social housing in remote communities. Because in most of these communities social housing is the only form of housing available, there are few or no houses to buy building a market gap in these areas. Lending and borrowing becomes a higher risk, which discourages commercial banks from lending in these areas.
"The recently released White Paper on Developing Northern Australia (which can be downloaded <a href="https://northernaustralia.infrastructure.gov.au/white-paper/" target="_blank">here</a>) sets out the Commonwealth’s vision for developing the potential of the north. The White Paper reflects the importance of Indigenous people and Indigenous land to this development and announced directions for reform which could support more home ownership opportunities on Indigenous land in the future."
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