Fixing Indigenous Housing: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

Will the Government deliver?

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This week we travel to Alice Springs to explore the issues surrounding Indigenous housing.

Fixing Indigenous Housing was at the heart of the Labor Government’s promise to close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage.

In what is the biggest project on remote housing ever, the Federal and Northern Territory Government dedicated $672 million to building 750 news homes, refurbishing 2,500 existing houses and rebuilding 230.

But the project has come under scrutiny - a recent Government report into the project found delays, a gross underestimate of costs and excessive red tape.

The Government has since announced it will take greater oversight of the program and has stuck to its commitments to deliver 750 new houses.

But there are concerns the houses built under the program will be smaller and refurbishments will not be as robust as first planned.

Meanwhile, Indigenous communities are growing more skeptical - they’re worried the program won’t tackle core health issues such as overcrowding or improve sub-standard conditions.

For the first time ever we bring together all the key players to find out if the Government can deliver on its promise to fix Indigenous housing and close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage.

Meet the Guests

Jenny Macklin

Jenny Macklin is the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. She launched the housing project SIHIP (Strategic Indigenous Housing Infrastructure Program) in 2007 to deliver new and upgraded housing. Earlier this year she ordered a review into SIHIP to weed out problems with costs, bureaucracy and time delays.

Rob Knight

Rob Knight is the Northern Territory Minister for Housing. He recently told the Northern Territory parliament the government will deliver every one of the 750 homes, 230 upgrades and the 2500 refurbishments promised under the SIHIP program.

Mal Brough

Mal Brough is the former Indigenous Affairs Minister. He was behind the Federal intervention in the Northern Territory.

Paul Pholeros

Paul Pholeros is the director of Healthabitat and focuses on living environments. He has been active in improving Indigenous Australians health through better housing.

Banjo and Ursula Hoosan

Ursula and Banjo Hoosan live in Santa Teresa and experience overcrowding in their house often with up to 12 people staying at a time. Both Ursula and Banjo want to know if SIHIP will help their housing situation which is common throughout their wider community.

Mark Lockyer

Mark Lockyer grew up on Hidden Valley Town Camp where his mother still lives. He moved to get away from alcohol and he is critical of the level of maintenance directed towards town camps in Alice Springs.