SOCIAL HOUSING
The Local Aboriginal Land Council network collectively "owns" and manages social housing stock of more than 2,500 houses located on 60 reserves across NSW. These houses were transferred to the LALCs through the ALRA.
They were typically run down housing estates with dilapidated and overcrowded housing.
The majority have never attracted recurrent funding from Government, unlike community housing or pubic housing which receives significant financial subsidy.
In many cases tenants, justifiably, were reluctant to pay the level of rent requiredfor sub-standard housing, leaving LALCs to fulfill their responsibilities with limited rental income.
It is not well understood that those LALCs which manage former reserves are burdened with not only the normal costs associated with all other housing owners but the additional costs of providing essential infrastructure and service such as:
- Water and sewerage
- Roads
- Street lighting
- Garbage collection
- Upkeep of large common areas that adjoin these lands.
Virtually none of the Reserves has a formal town plan or easily accessible records in terms of the layout of essential services infrastructure.
These houses represents a third of all Aboriginal housing stock in New South Wales.
LALC social housing accommodates well over 12,000 Aboriginal people-representing 8.5 per cent of the Aboriginal population in New South Wales.
Many LALCs are not in a financial position to repair their houses to an adequate standard and so have had difficulty collecting rents and paying rates and insurance charges.
The myth that Aboriginal people do not pay rent and all LALCs are poor housing managers is incorrect.
The latest figures available to NSWALC show rental income received of nearly $8 million - an 86 per cent collection rate.
This shows that despite the lack of any government subsidy many LALCs are doing a good job managing what, for all intents and purposes, was a social housing responsibility the State Government walked away from 25 years ago under the guise of land rights.
The ALRA now prohibits LALCs from providing 'social housing' (defined widely as any residential accommodation to Aboriginal persons) without them first obtaining NSWALC's approval.