1000 remote Indigenous houses delivered under National Partnership

More than 1000 new houses have been built in remote locations for Indigenous people across Australia, as part of the $5.5 billion National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing.

The program, delivered by the Australian Government in partnership with state and Northern Territory Governments, has also delivered 3,697 refurbishments to existing houses since it began on 1 January 2009.

This sustained level of building activity is helping to address the high levels of housing need in remote Indigenous communities.

Getting housing right is critical to tackling Indigenous disadvantage. A decent house is essential for protecting children, improving health, education and employment and re-building positive community norms.

This milestone has been reached following the renegotiation of the National Partnership in late 2009, which provided greater incentives for performance by the state and Northern Territory Governments.

Under the revised arrangements up to 25 per cent of a jurisdiction’s capital works funding allocation can be reallocated if agreed targets are not met.

The Australian Government has seen a new sense of drive and urgency since this renegotiation, with all states and territories either meeting or exceeding their targets.

In addition to building houses in remote communities, 60 new houses or hostels have been acquired to support Indigenous people who move to regional areas to access employment and training opportunities.

There are significant additional works occurring across the country, with 269 new houses and 369 refurbishments underway.

The program is also helping to drive increased Indigenous employment.

Currently, Indigenous employees make up over 20 per cent of the total new construction workforce, with the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland averaging more than 30 per cent Indigenous employment.

We will continue to drive building activity on the ground so more Indigenous people can benefit from new and refurbished houses.

Housing progress as at 31 December 2011