National Framework for the Design, Construction and Maintenance of Indigenous Housing
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people live in inadequate housing and this contributes to poor health. The reasons are complex, but it is now evident that there are fundamental problems with the way houses for Indigenous people are designed and built, especially in the rural and remote regions of Australia.
For example:
- houses are often designed in ways that do not meet Indigenous people's cultural needs;
- despite having national and local building codes and regulations, many houses are poorly constructed, especially in rural and remote locations; and
- the lack of regular maintenance means that houses break down prematurely, and their life spans are short.
The National Framework for the Design, Construction and Maintenance of Indigenous Housing has four elements:
- the principles of safety, health, quality control and sustainability which guide people in designing, building, upgrading and maintaining Indigenous housing;
- the States' and Territories' remote area Indigenous building standards which are intended to be used in conjunction with building guidelines such as the Building Code of Australia, building and planning legislation and local government building regulations;
- The National Indigenous Housing Guide (3rd Edition) which is a practical tool to help ensure that housing health hardware (the physical infrastructure necessary to keep healthy) is safe, functional and sustainable;
- Regular review which will ensure that the National Framework remains up to date and continues to deliver the intended outcomes of safe, healthy and sustainable housing for Indigenous people.
- National Framework for the Design, Construction and Maintenance of Indigenous Housing - PDF (35kb)