Indigenous housing indicators 2007-08

Publication

Release Date: 30 Jul 2009

Topic: Housing assistance

AIHW

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2009) Indigenous housing indicators 2007-08, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 20 April 2024.

APA

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2009). Indigenous housing indicators 2007-08. Canberra: AIHW.

MLA

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Indigenous housing indicators 2007-08. AIHW, 2009.

Vancouver

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Indigenous housing indicators 2007-08. Canberra: AIHW; 2009.

Harvard

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2009, Indigenous housing indicators 2007-08, AIHW, Canberra.

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In 2007-08, there were over 36,000 dwellings specifically targeted to providing housing assistance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - an increase of almost 1,000 dwellings since 2005-06. A further 58,000 Indigenous households were receiving assistance through mainstream housing programs in the same period. Indigenous housing indicators 2007-08 provides current national data across all housing assistance programs on a range of key Indigenous housing indicators including connection to services, dwelling condition, overcrowding, affordability of housing, rents collected and charged, and recurrent and capital expenditure on Indigenous housing.

ISSN: 1832-7443
ISBN: 978 1 74024 937 9
Cat. no: HOU 212
Pages: 120

Summary

Indigenous housing indicators 2007-08, the third report in this series, provides the most recent data on Indigenous housing across Australia. Data are drawn from several sources to report against nationally agreed indicators. It includes indicators on the Indigenous-specific housing programs, Indigenous community housing (ICH) and state owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH), and on Indigenous access to mainstream housing programs, as well as on broader measures, such as tenure type and homelessness.

Housing use

The efficiency and effectiveness of housing services are important indications of whether the objectives of assistance are being met and resources are being used to best advantage.

In 2007-08:

there were 36,057 dwellings specifically targeted to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples (23,279 for ICH, 12,778 for SOMIH)
more than 98% of ICH dwellings and almost 97% of SOMIH dwellings were occupied at 30 June 2008
all jurisdictions gave priority to those households in greatest need for the allocation of dwellings.

Adequate housing

There is a strong correlation between inadequate housing and poor health and wellbeing.

Dwellings in poor condition may be unsafe and/or lack essential working facilities, which may affect the health and wellbeing of people living in the dwellings. In 2007-08:

almost all ICH dwellings were connected to sewerage, water and electricity (98% each)
nationally, 23% of ICH dwellings were in need of major repair, while a further 7% of dwellings were in need of replacement (CHINS 2006). Tasmania had the greatest proportion of dwellings needing major repairs (31%), while the Northern Territory had the greatest proportion of dwellings needing replacement (10%).

Housing management

Indigenous participation in housing management is important to ensure that services are appropriate to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and provides opportunities for self-management. In 2007-08, 80% of people working in Indigenous housing management were Indigenous. Of these, 9% were undertaking, and 11% had completed accredited training.

Cost of housing

Housing costs measure the cost of providing assistance per dwelling. In 2007-08:

the net recurrent cost per ICH dwelling was $7,472, and $8,265 per SOMIH dwelling
the average maintenance expenditure per dwelling was $4,037 for ICH dwellings, and $3,245 for SOMIH dwellings.