- Home
- About us
- Membership
- Branchs & Networks
- ASHRAM
- Boarding Housing Action Group
- Brisbane North
- Central Queensland
- Far Nth Queensland
- Gold Coast
- Homelessness Task Force
- Indigenous Housing
- Inner City Homelessness and Affordable Housing Network
- Logan / LANARTA
- Mackay
- Nth Moreton
- Nth Queensland
- Redlands / Bayside
- SAAP Networking Project
- SW Brisbane
- Senior's Branch
- Sunshine Coast
- Toowoomba
- Wide Bay/Burnett
- Women's Housing Network
- Media & Policies
- Events
- Sector News & Links
- National Shelter
- Contact us
6th National Housing Conference - November 2009
6TH NATIONAL HOUSING CONFERENCE
Queensland Shelter attended the 6th National Housing Conference at the Melbourne Exhibition and Conference centre between the 24th and 27th November 2009. Attended by government ministers, national and international experts, researchers, lecturers and representatives from various organisations, and a large number of sponsored tenants from public and social housing, the conference explored a diverse range of issues around housing through large plenary panel sessions and smaller concurrent breakout sessions. The first and last days also involved a number of site visits to various public and community housing estates around Melbourne’s inner suburbs. Key aspects of the overarching theme, Housing in the new era: building the connections, included policy reforms, connectedness and partnerships and sessions explored key social issues such as homelessness, closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage, transport and access to services and support, and barriers such as NIMBY-ism preventing the construction of a greater amount of affordable housing.
THE ROLE OF HOUSING IN CLOSING THE GAP
I attended the session at the National Housing Conference on ‘The role of Housing in closing the gap’. Panel members included Amanda Cattermole from the Federal Department of FaHCSIA, Olive Bennel from Housing South Australia, Lawrence McDonald from the Productivity Commission, and Joe Ross from the National Policy Commission for Indigenous Housing in Western Australia. The session explored the major multifaceted policy strategies which are being implemented through COAG and the pivotal role housing investment plays in the success of these strategies. Discussion centred on the ‘Close the gap’ targets and the strategies in place to meet them.
Amanda Cattermole spoke of the National Indigenous Reform Agenda (NIRA) agreed to by COAG which provides the overarching summary of action which is being undertaken to meet the close the gap targets. The five national partnership agreements which form part of the reform agenda all encompass key performance indicators and benchmarks in order to measure the degree of success or shortfall in the implementation of the reforms. Housing was in all presentations delivered by the panel recognised as being absolutely critical in meeting the six key targets of closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous across rural, remote and urban regions.
This is also emphasised in the NIRA which is framed around seven key building blocks which COAG considers as essential for meeting the targets of closing the gap. Importantly, housing is recognised as one of these critical building blocks for implementation of the reform to close the gap.
The marginalisation and disadvantage experienced by many Indigenous peoples in remote communities was highlighted in statistics referred to by a number of the panel members. Indigenous peoples are four and a half times more likely to experience overcrowding in their houses than non-Indigenous, and 26% of Indigenous peoples live in social housing. In addition, they are twice as likely to be renting, and half as likely to own their own homes. Whilst it must be recognised that home ownership is not the best solution for everyone and for many is not the ultimate aspiration, diversity of housing and adequate supply are essential in remote communities if gaps are to be bridged and overcrowding reduced.
FaHCSIA reiterated its commitment to ensuring that durable houses are built for Indigenous Australians in remote communities with the expectation that they will last for at least thirty to forty years. This is in stark contrast to the many houses which have been built in the recent past at a substandard level, often only lasting five years. Furthermore, recognised as essential is the scale of housing which is required to practically make an impact and reduce significant issues of overcrowding, homelessness, poor housing conditions and chronic housing shortage. The panel spoke of the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program which was established with this in mind and is funded to a level that it expects to have a significant impact on the situation.
Questions and comments from the floor identified issues of racism and discrimination, the severe shortage of safe, secure and adequate housing for Indigenous people in many communities, and issues of overcrowding which are impacting on many individuals’ health, education and employment prospects.
It is extremely encouraging to see the recognition at a Federal and State level in policy and reform of the critical role housing plays in closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. Furthermore, it was encouraging to hear the acknowledgement by FaHCSIA that housing is a critical foundation for long term improvements in health, education and employment outcomes for Indigenous peoples. The session reinforced what Q Shelter has been advocating for, that housing is absolutely critical if the gap on Indigenous disadvantage is to be closed and a large amount of the discussion had in this session focused on key issues which Q Shelter has identified in the process of redrafting our current policy platform.
-Kate Langdon-
Queensland Shelter attended the 6th National Housing Conference at the Melbourne Exhibition and Conference centre between the 24th and 27th November 2009. Attended by government ministers, national and international experts, researchers, lecturers and representatives from various organisations, and a large number of sponsored tenants from public and social housing, the conference explored a diverse range of issues around housing through large plenary panel sessions and smaller concurrent breakout sessions. The first and last days also involved a number of site visits to various public and community housing estates around Melbourne’s inner suburbs. Key aspects of the overarching theme, Housing in the new era: building the connections, included policy reforms, connectedness and partnerships and sessions explored key social issues such as homelessness, closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage, transport and access to services and support, and barriers such as NIMBY-ism preventing the construction of a greater amount of affordable housing.
THE ROLE OF HOUSING IN CLOSING THE GAP
I attended the session at the National Housing Conference on ‘The role of Housing in closing the gap’. Panel members included Amanda Cattermole from the Federal Department of FaHCSIA, Olive Bennel from Housing South Australia, Lawrence McDonald from the Productivity Commission, and Joe Ross from the National Policy Commission for Indigenous Housing in Western Australia. The session explored the major multifaceted policy strategies which are being implemented through COAG and the pivotal role housing investment plays in the success of these strategies. Discussion centred on the ‘Close the gap’ targets and the strategies in place to meet them.
Amanda Cattermole spoke of the National Indigenous Reform Agenda (NIRA) agreed to by COAG which provides the overarching summary of action which is being undertaken to meet the close the gap targets. The five national partnership agreements which form part of the reform agenda all encompass key performance indicators and benchmarks in order to measure the degree of success or shortfall in the implementation of the reforms. Housing was in all presentations delivered by the panel recognised as being absolutely critical in meeting the six key targets of closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous across rural, remote and urban regions.
This is also emphasised in the NIRA which is framed around seven key building blocks which COAG considers as essential for meeting the targets of closing the gap. Importantly, housing is recognised as one of these critical building blocks for implementation of the reform to close the gap.
The marginalisation and disadvantage experienced by many Indigenous peoples in remote communities was highlighted in statistics referred to by a number of the panel members. Indigenous peoples are four and a half times more likely to experience overcrowding in their houses than non-Indigenous, and 26% of Indigenous peoples live in social housing. In addition, they are twice as likely to be renting, and half as likely to own their own homes. Whilst it must be recognised that home ownership is not the best solution for everyone and for many is not the ultimate aspiration, diversity of housing and adequate supply are essential in remote communities if gaps are to be bridged and overcrowding reduced.
FaHCSIA reiterated its commitment to ensuring that durable houses are built for Indigenous Australians in remote communities with the expectation that they will last for at least thirty to forty years. This is in stark contrast to the many houses which have been built in the recent past at a substandard level, often only lasting five years. Furthermore, recognised as essential is the scale of housing which is required to practically make an impact and reduce significant issues of overcrowding, homelessness, poor housing conditions and chronic housing shortage. The panel spoke of the Strategic Indigenous Housing and Infrastructure Program which was established with this in mind and is funded to a level that it expects to have a significant impact on the situation.
Questions and comments from the floor identified issues of racism and discrimination, the severe shortage of safe, secure and adequate housing for Indigenous people in many communities, and issues of overcrowding which are impacting on many individuals’ health, education and employment prospects.
It is extremely encouraging to see the recognition at a Federal and State level in policy and reform of the critical role housing plays in closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. Furthermore, it was encouraging to hear the acknowledgement by FaHCSIA that housing is a critical foundation for long term improvements in health, education and employment outcomes for Indigenous peoples. The session reinforced what Q Shelter has been advocating for, that housing is absolutely critical if the gap on Indigenous disadvantage is to be closed and a large amount of the discussion had in this session focused on key issues which Q Shelter has identified in the process of redrafting our current policy platform.
-Kate Langdon-
