Today, politicians in Canberra were shown a clear pathway to tackle the national Aboriginal housing and homelessness crisis – we urge them to listen,
Today, politicians in Canberra were shown a clear pathway to tackle the national Aboriginal housing and homelessness crisis – we urge them to listen, learn and act.
Members of the Victorian Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Forum (AHHF) today presented to the Parliamentary Friends of Housing on the acute and catastrophic housing and homelessness crisis facing Aboriginal people and showed them a path forward.
Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV), Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-Operative (RAC) and Mallee District Aboriginal Services (MDAS) explained why current plans to address Aboriginal homelessness did not recognise the issue as culturally and geographically distinct. With MDAS drawing particular attention to the need for more Aboriginal specific crisis accommodation in their region and Victorria more generally.
The organisations advocated for all Commonwealth policy instruments, including the National Housing and Homelessness Accord, the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and the Housing Australia Future Fund, to operate collectively to alleviate the crisis.
AHHF Chair and AHV CEO Darren Smith said the Federal Government could take Victoria’s lead when it came to the development of a national, self-determined plan to ensure every Aboriginal person across this continent has a home.
“In Victoria, our Aboriginal housing and homelessness Framework developed by the AHHF, Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort: Every Aboriginal Person Has a Home, holds the solutions Government can implement at a federal level,” he said.
“Further The Federal Government and Housing Australia in partnership with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association establish a First Nations Advisory Committee as a matter of urgency to expedite change.”
Over the past year, 17% of all Aboriginal Victorians accessed the homelessness service system – if these rates were reflected in the non-Aboriginal population, more than one million Victorians would be seeking homelessness assistance.
“Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort was developed to reflect the objectives, needs and priorities of the Victorian Aboriginal community,” Mr Smith said.
“If the Government can work with and listen to Aboriginal organisations at a national level to develop a plan, we will see tangible change in a generation.”
Newly registered Aboriginal housing provider Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-Operative work on the ground in the in the Hume region and their Housing Manager, Carol Cann, told politicians ACCHO”S are advanced organisations that are business minded with the unique ability to work across government departments to deliver the solutions that we know work for Aboriginal people.
However, she argued it should not be solely left to Aboriginal people to clean up the legacy of colonisation on their own – they needed government trust, economic participation and accountability.
Senator Lidia Thorpe asserted that the solution to the housing crisis lies within the community-controlled sector, highlighting the imperative for the government to swiftly implement the solutions proposed by First Nation communities.
"Housing is a fundamental human right, and it's shameful that in 2024, the First Peoples of this country are still begging for this basic necessity. The government has the power to swiftly implement the solutions our communities have proposed. With the necessary funding, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) can provide self-determined, holistic solutions by and for the people. It's time for the government to meet us halfway with the resources needed to address the housing crisis they've played a role in creating."
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association (NATSIHA) CEO Rob MacFarlane said
"Aboriginal community-controlled organisations have shown unwavering determination, always working with a steadfast focus on their goals. It's evident that power and decision-making needs to be shifted into the hands of those who understand what works best for their people."
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