The Australian Government has committed $550 million over five years for housing in remote Northern Territory communities. The funding will be matched by the Northern Territory Government to create a $1.1 billion joint government investment in remote housing.

The five year commitment ensures there is continuity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, including land tenure arrangements, creating jobs and apprenticeships for local Indigenous people, and opportunities for growth in Indigenous businesses.

There are 27,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in overcrowded conditions in remote parts of the Northern Territory. Although they represent less than one per cent of the Australian population, they make up 12% of the overall Australian homelessness population.

This joint investment will see long term sustainable change in remote communities. It will shift the way the Australian Government conducts business to allow Indigenous communities to have a greater say over their housing, from decision making to delivery.

The investment will also lay the foundations for governments to move away from the status quo and change the way they address overcrowding in remote communities. The Government will focus on long term sustainable change in communities, allowing Indigenous Australians to have a say in how their needs are best met. This delivers on the Government’s commitment to do things with Indigenous people, not to them.

The investment builds on the previous 10 years which saw the Australian Government investing $1.7 billion in remote housing in the NT and delivering more than 1,500 new houses.

Read the Minister's media release.