Aboriginal housing policies should be developed and implemented in close consultation with individual Aboriginal communities. Getty Images

Research findings show the social values of Aboriginal people differ significantly from non-Aboriginal values. Unfortunately, well-intentioned government policies too often ignore these crucial differences.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says everyone has the right to decent housing, which provides for their security, health and well-being.

However, past policies have not done enough to ensure Aboriginal people have adequate housing — it continues to lag behind non-Aboriginal housing across Australia.

In 2020, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap included housing among its 16 key socio-economic targets to improve life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

However, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has found closing the gap targets cannot be met without addressing the current lack of affordable and quality housing.

As it stands:

a much higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in overcrowded and public housing
only 42% own their own home compared with 65% of non-Indigenous households
housing shortages are predicted to increase to 90,901 dwellings across Australia by 2031, of which 65,000 are in NSW

However, the use of financial metrics (such as the amount of money spent on Aboriginal housing) to determine the success of Aborginal housing policies can sometimes present a deceiving and biased view of the impact they have on Aboriginal communities.

These measurements should not reflect non-Aboriginal values of individualism and materialism, which typically guide government assessments of success and failure.

2021 Research at the Indigenous Infrastructure and Sustainable Housing Alliance, in partnership with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment found a large number of housing problems for Aboriginal people, which can be summarised into four main areas:

overcrowding
ageing housing stock
poor quality construction and maintenance (especially waterproofing)
inappropriate standardised designs which do not reflect Aboriginal cultural values and family structures.

The evaluation of the NSW’s Roads to Home Program also highlights the importance of addressing underlying infrastructure deficiencies in Aboriginal communities.

"Poorly maintained and constructed roads, footpaths, drains, and electricity and telecommunications systems present potential risks to peoples’ health, safety, security and wellbeing. And this, in turn, creates structural disadvantage and further isolates them from surrounding non-Aboriginal communities," says AHURI.

The program also invests in road and infrastructure upgrades in Aboriginal communities, such as former reserves and missions. It commenced in July 2019, with ten communities being initially upgraded over a four-year period at a cost of $54.8 million.

AHURI has developed a series of design principles to inform culturally responsive housing designs currently under development in northwestern NSW.

These principles can be simplified under three main headings:

orientation (building and block orientation)
house layout (how the house is laid out internally)
materials (durability, ease of maintenance)

"To address the legacy of past Aboriginal housing policies new Aboriginal housing should reflect the diverse cultures, climate variations and environments of Aboriginal communities. They must not be built around the traditional, western, nuclear family model. Housing should be resilient, sustainable and provide flexible and adaptable spaces for extended families and community activities," says AHURI.

Importantly, they must also comply with the Building Code of Australia since too much Aboriginal housing has been built below Australian standards.

However, governments must be committed to enforcing these policies and measuring their impact from Aboriginal people’s perspectives.

Most importantly notes AHURI, Aboriginal housing policies should be developed and implemented in close consultation with Aboriginal people, recognising each community’s unique cultures, needs and priorities.

Martin Loosemore, Professor of Construction Management, University of Technology Sydney; Campbell Drake, Senior Lecturer / Architect; John Evans, Professor, Indigenous Health Education, University of Technology Sydney, and Sara Wilkinson, Professor, School of the Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney

Image: https://www.moreechampion.com.au/story/6952663/new-aboriginal-housing-project-provides-more-than-a-home-for-local-people/

Architecture & Design Team

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