Contemporary Health Issues: Housing and Indigenous Australians

This paper discusses the poor housing conditions among Indigenous Australians and the need for government funding to improve housing infrastructure. It explores the social determinants of health related to housing and provides policy recommendations to address the issue.

Running head: CONTEMPORARY HEALTH ISSUES
CONTEMPORARY HEALTH ISSUES
Name of the Student
Name of the university
Author’s note

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Executive summary
Housing is a key determinant of poor health among the aboriginal Australians. Poor housing has
been linked to poor health outcomes and low socioeconomic status. This paper has provided the
rationale for why the NT government should provide funding for building housing for the
Indigenous population. The paper had emphasized on building of new houses on remote areas for
preventing overcrowding. Focus has to be given on infrastructure and sanitation. However, the
paper had also provided with positive recommendations that can close the social determinants to
poor housing for indigenous Australians.

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Table of Contents
Purpose............................................................................................................................................3
Background......................................................................................................................................3
Social determinants of health...........................................................................................................4
Health and health care.................................................................................................................5
Socio economic status (SES).......................................................................................................6
Policy Recommendations................................................................................................................7
Recommendation 1......................................................................................................................7
Improvement in the housing facility............................................................................................7
Recommendation 2......................................................................................................................9
Strengthening of the National agreement Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA).................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Purpose
The purpose of this assignment to provide a parliamentary submission on the issue of housing for
the indigenous government. The main aim is to help in the enquiry into housing for Indigenous
Australians.
Background
Indigenous Australians have always been represented in the homeless population. On
consensus night in 2011, 26,740 aboriginal people were experiencing homelessness. In the year
2016, among the indigenous people who had been homeless, three quarter were staying in
severely crowded dwellings that contained an average of 12 people in each dwelling (Australian
Government. 2017). 12% were staying in supported accommodation and 6 % had been staying in
improvised dwellings, sleeping out or tents. The remaining faction had been staying in other
temporary households. The indigenous people who suffer from homelessness are more likely to
be female and tended to be younger than the non-indigenous people experiencing homelessness
(Australian Government. 2017). Domestic violence, unemployment was the most commonly
reported reason for the homelessness (Australian government, Department of Social services,
2017).
The Australian Institute of architects had supported the urgent needs of the improvement
of the poor standards of housing for the indigenous population. The housing standards and the
essential infrastructure required for the indigenous communities is much below than what is
available to the nonindigenous counterparts (Baker et al. 2016). This is a clear proof that the
government has failed to provide a reasonable standard of housing for the indigenous people.

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State and territory owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) is managed by the State
government and allocated to the indigenous population. Again the Indigenous community
housing (ICH) is again managed by the Indigenous community housing organization (Australian
Government. 2017). In spite of Different policy initiatives has been taken, aiming to improve the
indigenous health and wellbeing and reducing the homelessness, the gap of poor indigenous
infrastructure still persists. (Belanger, Awosoga and Head 2013) have raised the controversy as
they impinge on the indigenous aspirations to stay in the homeland communities that require
mainstreaming of the indigenous housing and transfer of the indigenous land to the state.
Furthermore, UN’s International Covenant on Economic, social and cultural rights
committee has examined the Australia’s promotion of the basic rights like housing, self-
determination, health, housing and social security. According to the reports, time again, one can
see the Australian government fail to fail to proper housing and social security. The funding
provided by the federal government has also fall short of the demands of the growing population.
All these issues calls for a robust and an extensive housing policy (Baker et al. 2016).
Social determinants of health
According to the world Health organization (WHO), social determinants of health can be
referred to as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. A house
encompasses not only a physical structure, but also the social and natural environment. The
quality of the housing, the location, the affordability and accessibility all are the important
determinants of health. The physical condition of the house includes the state of repair, water,

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plumbing, electricity, flooring, furnishing, swage system and other chemical and biological
components.
Health and health care
Poor housing conditions can be related to increased risk of infection and respiratory
disease, chronic illness, poor nutrition, injuries, violence and mental health disorders (Morrison,
Moghadas and Buckeridge 2013). The location of the housing impacts the health of an individual
by the fact that the accessibility of the essential services like water, proper sanitation facilities
affects the health and the wellbeing of the people. According to (WHO, 2017), the quality of the
housing have major impact on the health and the wellbeing of the people. Based on the available
evidences, the WHO housing guidelines has provided new guidelines linked with crowding, low
and high indoor temperature, and injury hazards. According to the observational studies by
Habibis (2013) it has been found that individuals with a stable home is likely to face higher
morbidity both in terms of physical and cognitive health. People experience traumas on the
streets or in welfare shelters, having a longstanding adverse effect in the psychological wellbeing
of the patients. Residential instability is also associated with other problems of health among the
youths, like an increased risk of teen pregnancy, early use of drugs and depression. Furthermore,
poor housing infrastructure is linked with overcrowding, which can lead to the spread of
communicable disease (Health affairs, 2017). Lack of free space for playground or greeneries
might impact the health of individuals due to lack scope for exercise or cycling or swimming
(Health affairs, 2017). Again lack of proper sewage disposal system or waste management
procedures can increase the chance of pandemics. Aidala et al. (2016) had studied the
importance of housing status and living condition for the prevention of HIV. It has been found
that people who are homeless are likely to have higher rates of HIV, than the people who stays in

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stable households. People having HIV positive are also at increased risk of unstable housing or
housing loss. Stigma, prejudice, lack of poor health and policy restrictions on housing assistance
for people with drug use or incarceration histories and the pre-existing notion, makes it
challenging for people with `HIV to maintain proper housing (Aidala et al. 2016). Again Riva
and colleagues (2014), have reported that overcrowding endanger the health by the help of stress
pathophysiology. According to the author, inadequate household conditions night be linked to
cardiovascular diseases and mortality by sustained physiologic responses to the environmental
stressors. Riva et al.(2014) have stated that, Unsuitable housing with poor ventilation might
enhance the moisture levels, that poses a risk on increased transmission of pulmonary diseases
like asthma and tuberculosis (Morrison, Moghadas and Buckeridge 2013). The likelihood of the
respiratory and infectious disease has been 400 times higher than that of the non-indigenous
counterparts.
Socio economic status (SES)
Socioeconomic status of an individual is another social determinants of health related to
poor housing and infrastructure among the aboriginal Australians (Thomson et al. 2016).
According to the studies social and economic inequities are linked with varying levels to the
housing risk factors, with different health outcomes. According to a survey by Andersen et al.
(2014) almost half of the residents of an aboriginal housing community have reported having
difficulties in paying the housing expenditure, with an augmented level of deprivation. 30 % of
the population has reported poor health status and financial constraints (Andersen et al. 2014).
All the data indicates that financial capacities have a strong effect on housing and health.
According to Baker and Lester (2017) housing satisfaction occurs if the housing situation in in
compliance with the family, cultural and the community housing rules. Incongruity between the

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actual housing condition and the housing norms indicates housing deficits giving rise to
residential dissatisfaction. The socioeconomic status is different from one house hold to the other
(Waziri et al. 2014). Low income level can act as a barrier for the indigenous people, starting
from the selection of a proper dwelling place. People having low socio-economic level faces
difficulty to find suitable dwelling place. According to The National Aboriginal Housing
Association (NAHA), 74% of the aboriginal households live up the reserve and more than one
third of the aboriginal population in Australia lives in unsuitable , unaffordable households due
to the inability to meet up to the cost . A study by Habibis (2013) has found that higher income
households are generally satisfied with their housing. This is due to the fact, that the higher
income earners could improve the housing situation by making alterations in their household,
renovate the household as per the suitable needs of the housing norms. Riva et al.( 2013) has
again argued, that people with higher income are likely to shift to better locations, giving them
better levels of satisfaction.
Policy Recommendations
Due to the failure of most of the housing initiatives taken up by the government, some
recommendations has been listed below for reducing the social determinants of health. These
recommendations can be followed to improve the housing strategies that has been adopted till
now.
Recommendation 1
Improvement in the housing facility
New housing for the indigenous people has to be designed appropriately for the
traditional and the cultural practices of the occupants and the communities and for the particular

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climatic and geographical conditions. The house has to be designed and built ensuring an ease of
maintenance, less running cost for the longevity and low running cost (Australian government,
Department of Social services, 2017). A good quality of initial design and the construction needs
to be combined with the regular maintenance programming.
Again it is vital to build and maintain the capacities of the indigenous communities for
managing their own housing and essential infrastructure. Many of the aboriginal organizations
have demonstrated the capacity to deliver and maintain housing services by constantly changing
policy regimes. More houses should be built to compensate the shortage of housing in the remote
communities. The government should undertake to provide necessary funding for clearing out
the backlog. Policies shall be introduced to reduce the short term capital cost of the houses,
which have reduced the housing standards (Thomson et al. 2016). There had been a lack of
adequate support for keeping the houses working. The rights of the Aboriginals and the Torres
Strait Islander people should be preserved. They need to be recognized within the framework of
traditional connection, linking to sacred sites and the dreaming lines and the practice of the law.
The indigenous population who are committed to their residing place and have different cultures
and beliefs needs to be supported (Australian government, Department of Social services, 2017).
New and growing communities require continuing support. The entire indigenous settlements
needs planning for a change, growth and the cultural needs with regards to the needs of land use,
town boundaries and zoning. An indigenous land use require cultural –specific spatial and place
based needs as well as the economic needs and should be able to recognize a strong linkage of
the indigenous community.
All the important services provided to the house should be suitable for the location, be
affordable and able to be maintained. The delivery of the new houses will be supported by local

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house maintenance training and skill development system. Home security by giving long term
lease should be provided to the indigenous residents. Those indigenous residents wanted the
security of a domestic occupancy by a long term leasing options should have the guarantee of a
tenancy agreement complying with the legislation of specific jurisdiction.
Recommendation 2
Strengthening of the National agreement Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA)
The funding of the NHAA has to be increased to ensure that all the Australians have
access to safe and proper housing facilities that contributes to social and economic participation.
A whole government approach is required to solve the problem of housing affordability
(Australian government, Department of Social services 2017). Again rent assistance can be
provided at low interests. The important barriers to the housing affordability act- that is the
holding cost incurred by the developers due to long planning and approval tines should be
managed. Funds needs to be increased for laying of the water pipes, transport, sewage and
creation of parks (Australian government, Department of Social services 2017). The fund should
provide grant to the territory, state and the local government for working in collaboration with
the private sector for reducing the problems related to housing infrastructure, planning costs and
to pass savings on to the new home purchasers (Baker et al. 2017). It is necessary to make sure,
that the funding prioritize the support for individuals, affected by domestic violence or
vulnerable young Australians (Baker et al. 2017). Special programs should be undertaken, such
that the young unemployed people gets educational support for their future professional
development, similar to the program RECONNECT, which is a community based early
intervention and prevention program for the young people aged 12-18 years , who are at risk of
homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness (Andersen et al. 2018). Such programs would

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assist young people to stabilize their conditions of living and to improve them with the
community, family, work, training and education. Long term lease should be given. Special
initiatives can be adopted, such as donating 0.1 % of the sale to their property to the affordable
housing projects and other social funds (Andersen et al. 2018).
Conclusion
On a concluding note, it can be said that, most of the aboriginal people, faces with
homelessness, over-crowding or poor housing facilities. Poor housing has been linked with poor
health outcomes, starting from the chronic illness to communicable diseases. Poor housing
facilities has again being linked to the social determinants like socio-economic status. Aboriginal
people belonging to low SES, are likely to experience homelessness or poor housing
infrastructure. The paper had emphasized on some interventions for providing proper household
facilities to the aboriginal communities. The recommendations involves, building of more houses
in the remote communities to prevent overcrowding, provision of long term leases with proper
tenacy agreements , maintenance of the houses made, involving the aboriginal people in the
capacity building for the construction of the houses and their maintenance. Further
recommendations involve increasing the government funding in the Affordability housing
agreement.

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A.K., Caban, M. and Rourke, S.B., 2016. Housing status, medical care, and health outcomes
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conditions of urban households with Aboriginal children in NSW Australia: tenure type
matters. BMC public health, 18(1), 70. doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4607-y
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