Queensland Indigenous communities frustrated as decade-old housing deal fails to be considered in budget

A decade-old public housing funding deal for people in remote Indigenous communities remains in limbo in Queensland after the Federal Government’s Budget announcements this week failed to mention it.

The National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing (NPARIH) was developed in 2008 as part of the Closing the Gap strategy that aims to reduce overcrowding and ensure houses were well-maintained in Indigenous communities, with an investment of $1 billion into the initiative.

Renegotiation of the partnership is vital as remote Indigenous communities like those in Palm Island off the north Queensland coast face major overcrowding issues.