The Commonwealth will no longer fund a long-running partnership on remote housing Queensland’s housing minister says, prompting advocates to warn of a potential jobs and housing crisis in remote Indigenous areas.
The National Partnership Alliance on Remote Housing program was established in 2008 to address critical housing needs.
The agreement expires on 30 June this year and continued funding for the program has been a point of contention between federal and state ministers for months.
Queensland housing minister Mick de Brenni says the decision is a “historic withdrawal from support that has been designed to close the gap.”
Torres Shire Council mayor Vonda Malone says the program has created “huge economic opportunities” for her community.
A ten-year review into the partnership last year recommended the funding of a “recurrent program” to maintain existing houses, warning that without it the strategy’s progess would be wasted.
The review also recommended any future funding be split equally between the Commonwealth and jurisdictions.
