Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is a fog of confusion around the way that the Commonwealth is handling negotiations on housing with the state and territory governments. I'll tell you why. In the Northern Territory, Minister Scullion stood up at a community in Arnhem Land and commended the Northern Territory government for putting forward $1.1 billion in terms of its housing, and it agreed to continue the partnership of $1.1 billion over 10 years. So there was confusion here when the Prime Minister said on Friday that that's not the case. I call on the minister and the Prime Minister to be much clearer in the deliberations and negotiations that they are having, because they're sending very confusing signals.

Today we heard all the words about improving outcomes for first nations people, about closing the gap and about aspirations to improve our lives and the lives of our children and our families. I don't doubt the Prime Minister's intentions when he wants to see more and do more to see real improvements. You can't get much more real and solid than bricks and mortar—housing. Good-quality housing underpins all the Closing the Gap targets in health, education and employment as well as community safety. Good housing is the key to strengthening communities—particularly remote communities—and improving lives. This government knows this—in fact, it says this in its own Closing the gap report—yet has refused to clarify if it has any real commitment to improving the enormous need for remote housing.

The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion, refused to clarify what, if any, plans he has to extend or replace the 10-year $5.4 billion National Partnership on Remote Housing, which expires in June 2018. Senator Scullion was given every opportunity today to explain his positive plans for improving the dire, desperate need for remote Indigenous housing, and he couldn't do it. Senator Scullion could not say how many new houses his government would commit to building. He could not say how many families would benefit from new or improved housing. He could not say how the federal government plans to meet the additional 5,500 homes estimated by his own review to be required by 2028 to reduce levels of overcrowding in remote areas. Despite the 10-year plan expiring in four months and the budget being handed down in three months, the minister cannot give any indication of how his government is going to tackle the enormous need for housing in remote areas. This is what failure sounds like.

But it's not Senator Scullion who lives with this failure. It's the family in an Alice Springs town camp sharing one bathroom with 20 other people because extended family members have no housing. It's an elderly woman sleeping outside in the front yard in 45-degree heat because her home doesn't have air conditioning. It's the elderly disabled man living on an outstation whose toilet hasn't worked for weeks being given a rubber plunger and told to fix it himself. Senator Scullion mentioned housing refurbishments and seemed to think they were not needed and were a waste of money. The remote housing review said the evidence is clear that houses deteriorate quickly without ongoing maintenance and repairs. Having invested $5.4 billion into the program, you would think that Senator Scullion would think it a priority for the government to protect its investment and increase the longevity of houses by maintaining the housing already delivered. Keeping housing maintained and functional plays a huge role in overcoming housing shortages and overcrowding.

To put on record another finding from the review:

Under the Community Housing and Infrastructure Program (CHIP) the Fixing Houses for Better Health surveys found that only nine per cent of household faults are caused by tenants. The misconception that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families cause the majority of damage and deterioration to remote Indigenous housing needs to be corrected. A focus on tenant education is important, but so too is delivering good quality and appropriate housing that meets building standards.

But housing isn't just about bricks and mortar. It's also about jobs and economies, especially in remote areas. So come on, Minister. Come on, Prime Minister. Get on with the job and support our housing. (Time expired)