Indigenous home ownership triples in 20 years
By PETER ROWE
New research into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander home ownership has shown ownership has more than tripled in the past 20 years.
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) engaged the Australian Housing and Urban research Institute (AHURI) to jointly research how it could best support Indigenous Australians to access secure, affordable, and appropriate housing.
The number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households in home ownership has grown from around 46,150 in 2001 to 145,100 in 2021.
And the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households who are homeowners has grown rapidly from 33 per cent in 2001 to 41 per cent in 2021.
First Nations Australian homeowners are now the largest single category by tenure type.
“Home ownership provides considerable benefits now and into the future,” IBA Chair Eddie Fry, a Dagoman man, said.
“Today it provides secure housing which ultimately leads to intergenerational wealth and sets an example for others that may not have seen home ownership as an option.
“To fulfil our role at IBA to promote and encourage Indigenous self-management and self-sufficiency, we require a strong understanding about the pathways into housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“These insights inform IBA’s strategic direction, to ensure we are meeting the increasing aspirations of our communities.”
Mr Fry said that “owning your home was not the only option and more housing outcomes needed to be addressed to improve the housing crisis for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
“The research is just the beginning and builds an understanding of the potential business and investment opportunities to assist the market supply secure and affordable rental properties to support the transition pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into home ownership and other great housing outcomes,” he said.
Check out the IBA housing fact sheet here:
https://iba.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IBA-Pathways-Housing-Factsheet.pdf
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