Northern Territory housing funding announcement

The Northern Territory’s funding for housing is currently around $4 million a year, with the Australian Government spending $90 million a year on Indigenous specific housing in the territory.

It is welcome that the Northern Territory Government has finally accepted that they have a responsibility to better provide for housing in their own communities.

However, rather than match the proposed funding, we would prefer the Northern Territory follow the lead of Queensland and match our funding 50/50.

As it stands, even under the proposed increase by the Northern Territory, the Australian Government would still exceed Northern Territory funding by a ratio of nearly four to one.

Before we consider putting any more Federal money into housing in the Northern Territory, or anywhere else for that matter, we need to be convinced that the Territory is making better use of the $90 million already allocated.

The Commonwealth has made it clear that further investment in housing is based on a number of key reforms including:

• Land Tenure;
• Law and Order;
• Good Governance; and
• A more sustainable housing model (including collection of more appropriate levels of rent).