The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) has congratulated the QLD Government on its decision to invest $40 million next year on a modest housing program for remote Indigenous communities in QLD.
LGAQ chief executive Greg Hallam said Housing Minister Mick de Brenni had heeded the LGAQ’s request earlier this year for the Queensland Government to step in and provide some funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander councils to ensure the employment and other benefits of the remote housing program could continue.
“Councils thank the Minister for this decision but also realise it is an interim measure and the lasting solution to overcrowding in indigenous communities and its associated health and economic outcomes lies with the Federal Government,” he said.
“Protracted negotiations between the Federal and State Governments continue to leave councils, their communities and many local workers wondering where all their progress in addressing overcrowding up to this point has been in vain.”
The Federal Government’s own review of its National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing program urged funding to continue beyond its scheduled completion on 30 June this year, saying despite some good gains, overcrowding remained a significant problem in indigenous communities.
In its federal election document, ALGA has called on the Federal Government to foster Indigenous well-being and prosperity by:
- continuing to provide at least $5.5 billion over the next decade to address the needs in Indigenous communities, particularly in the areas of overcrowding, homelessness, poor housing conditions, and a severe shortage of housing in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia
- renewing the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing and acknowledging the need for increased local engagement and use of local services and resources.
More information about ALGA’s federal election advocacy is available on www.allpoliticsislocal.com.au