Two reports released today by the Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare on public rental housing and state owned and managed
Indigenous housing, show that social housing remains an important
source of accommodation for households whose housing needs cannot
be met by the private rental market.
The reports, Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement national
data report 2004-05: public rental housing, and
Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement national data report
2004-05: state owned and managed Indigenous housing, provide
an overview of public rental housing and state owned and managed
Indigenous housing in Australia.
The public rental housing report shows that there were 335,264
households living in public rental housing dwellings in June 2005,
a decrease of 991, or 0.3%, from 2004.
'Households that pay rent lower than the market rent value of
the dwelling are defined as rebated households - most (86.7%) of
the households in public housing receive rebated assistance,'
explained David Wilson of the Institute's Housing Assistance
Unit.
'About 71% of public housing tenants said they were either 'very
satisfied' or 'satisfied' with the services being provided by state
or territory housing authorities,' Mr Wilson said.
Nearly three-quarters, or 71.4%, of public housing dwellings in
Australia were located in major cities, with an additional 16.8%
located in inner regional areas, and 9.6% in outer regional areas.
The remaining 2.2% were located in remote and very remote
areas.
From 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005 there were 27,776 new
households allocated public housing. Of the 27,776 new households
allocated public rental housing from 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005
3,500 allocations were made to Indigenous households representing
12.6% of all new allocations.
The state owned and managed Indigenous housing report shows that
as at 30 June 2005, there were 12,288 households in state owned and
managed Indigenous housing, an increase of 69, or 0.6%, from
2004.
More than a third (33.8%) of state owned and managed Indigenous
housing dwellings in Australia were located in major cities, with
an additional 21.9% located in inner regional areas, and 26.2% in
outer regional areas. The remaining 18.0% of state owned and
managed Indigenous housing dwellings were located in remote and
very remote areas.
From 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005, 1,497 new households were
allocated state owned and managed Indigenous housing.
Mr Wilson said that in addition to these programs private rent
assistance is provided through Centrelink's Rent Assistance
payments and also through the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement.
Other important areas of housing assistance are home purchase
assistance, community housing and crisis accommodation.
16 December 2005
Further information: David Wilson, AIHW tel. 02
6244 1202
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability of the Commonwealth-State
Housing Agreement national data reports 2004-05: public rental
housing and Commonwealth-State
Housing Agreement national data report 2004-05: state owned and
managed Indigenous housing reports.