Aboriginal Housing Northern Territory (AHNT) welcomes the announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of its landmark $4 billion remote housing investment across 10 years for Aboriginal Territorians. The announcement is the culmination of 12 months of strong leadership and advocacy from AHNT and heralds a once-in-a-generation opportunity to properly address the severe shortage of housing across the 73 remote communities and make critical upgrades to some 398 homelands.
Promising to deliver 2700 new homes, the new long-term agreement also aligns with efforts to grow remote economies. The additional announcement of the Australian Government's $707 million remote jobs and economic development program will establish 3000 remote jobs with superannuation and provides a long-term pipeline of work to fuel sustainability of the Aboriginal-controlled housing sector.
A further $120 million has been allocated to maintain and upgrade housing and infrastructure on homelands to match the NT's annual investment over the next 3 years. AHNT will work closely with the sector, land councils and governments to ensure the Aboriginal-controlled sector is prioritised to deliver works across the life of the homelands repairs and maintenance program.
AHNT CEO Skye Thompson is confident that AHNT and the land councils have had a strong voice in decision-making to inform the agreement, and particularly that the investment will include homelands. She said:
"I'm pleased that AHNT and the land councils provided strong guidance and leadership to governments to achieve this commitment, and our member organisations will be thrilled at the prospect of additional long-term funding to redress the long-term neglect of homelands".
To embed Aboriginal decision-making across the life of the 10-year investment, AHNT will be part of a historic partnership agreement with the Australian and NT governments and land councils to deliver the agreement. The investment also includes a further $1 million over two years to support AHNT's significant work to date strengthening the Aboriginal-controlled sector under this partnership.
Given the size and duration of the agreed investment, its potential impact goes far beyond more housing, Ms Thompson said:
"We are seeing a significant shift in how we collectively approach remote housing and build remote economies of scale. Over time we will build homes that are a much better fit for climate and for culture. We will involve and empower Aboriginal people in planning, design and construction as well as maintenance, repairs and tenancy management. Our aim is for the whole life cycle of Aboriginal housing to be Aboriginal-led".
While details of the agreement are yet to settle, AHNT and its members are optimistic. Thompson said:
"As Aboriginal people we know that sustained effort is required to achieve transformational change. This is not just an investment in housing – it is an investment in people".
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Aboriginal Housing Northern Territory (AHNT) Aboriginal Corporation is the
