New study confirms major housing shortfall for Aboriginal Victorians
New study confirms major housing shortfall for Aboriginal Victorians. Reinforcing urgent need for concerted action and long-term investment into housing solutions.
February 13, 2025 – A major study released by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has found that one in eight Indigenous households nationwide faced unmet housing needs, a rate almost double that of non-Indigenous Australian households.
‘Indigenous housing support in Australia: the lay of the land’ reinforces what Aboriginal* communities have long known: the housing crisis disproportionately impacts Aboriginal people, deepening socioeconomic inequalities and disadvantage. The report reveals that 81 per cent of Indigenous households face rental stress or cannot afford private rentals, highlighting the severe shortage of affordable private rental and social housing that is leaving thousands of Aboriginal families in unstable and insecure conditions.
The report calls for a unified national Indigenous housing strategy, a position long advocated by the Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Forum (AHHF) in Victoria and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association, to drive coordinated action and close the gap in Aboriginal housing outcomes.
Aboriginal Housing Victoria (AHV) CEO, Darren Smith, who participated on the reports’ Indigenous Advisory Committee, is also the Chair of the AHHF, reflects, “This simply confirms what our communities have experienced for decades – Aboriginal people are pushed into housing stress and homelessness because there is nowhere available, affordable or appropriate to live.”
Mr Smith continues, "I am confident action under a national Aboriginal housing strategy can deliver measurable improvements in the medium term and drive meaningful reform in the long term.”
“However, it can be achieved only if it has the commitment of all governments and is led by Aboriginal voices from our communities. The plan must be tailored to the unique circumstances of Aboriginal communities nationwide and acknowledge the differing needs across urban, regional and remote areas.”
Victoria has a proven model for self-determined housing reform through Mana-na woorn-tyeen maar-takoort: The Victorian Aboriginal Housing and Homelessness Framework. Since its launch in 2020, the framework has delivered real progress, including:
- More than 1,000 Aboriginal people have been housed and supported in the private rental market through the establishment and expanded investment in the Aboriginal Private Rental Assistance Program (APRAP).
- Progress towards the Aboriginal housing target that 10 per cent of all new social housing properties are allocated to Aboriginal Victorians, equating to nearly 850 new homes, with the majority owned or managed by Aboriginal housing providers.
- Significant investment in the homelessness system, strengthening culturally safe support for Aboriginal people, including funding for two Aboriginal homelessness entry points and under-resourced Aboriginal homelessness providers.
“We’ve seen important momentum here in Victoria, with the AHHF in a stronger position than ever to work with the government on delivering long-term reform and investment,” Mr Smith says, “but we’re still far from the transformative change needed to close the gap.”
“These findings must push the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments toward serious, sustained action. A national strategy and plan, backed by a commitment to allocate 10 per cent of the Housing Australia Future Fund to Aboriginal housing, would be a critical step forward.”
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Media Contact: communications@ahvic.org.au | 0456 622 885
*The term Aboriginal is used throughout as reference to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.