The report finds that inadequate funding for homelessness services, limited crisis and transitional accommodation, the shortage of affordable housing, barriers to housing access and inadequate attention to tenancy sustainment create a revolving door of housing and homelessness for many Indigenous people.
The legacy of colonisation, including the displacement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their ancestral lands, has exacerbated issues associated with inadequate housing and homelessness.
High unemployment and lasting impacts from colonialism have caused low income in Aboriginal homes. Today, people often find that Aboriginal communities in non-rural areas live off welfare in crowded housing.
The 2016 Census found that of the total Indigenous population (649,000) 3.6% or 23,440 were homeless, a rate of 361 per 10,000.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up around 3.2% of the Australian population (ABS 2022a) yet they made up around 20% (23,437 persons) of the estimated number of people experiencing homelessness on Census night in 2016 (ABS 2018) and over one-quarter or 28% of the clients (an estimated 72,900 clients) ...
122,494 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness on Census night in 2021. Males made up 55.9% of people experiencing homelessness; females made up 44.1%. 23.0% of all people experiencing homelessness were aged from 12 to 24 years.
A majority of people experiencing homelessness long-term in Australia are found in the large cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. It is estimated that on any given night approximately 116,000 people will be homeless and many more are living in insecure housing, "one step away from being homeless".
About 30 per cent of Indigenous households are in income poverty, which indicates that over 120,000 Indigenous people are living below the poverty line.
This graph shows that the poverty rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is 31%, and that poverty amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is twice as high in very remote communities (54%) as in major cities (24%).
Chronic ear infections (eg otitis media), eye infections (eg trachoma), skin conditions (eg crusted scabies), gastroenteritis, respiratory infections (overcrowding has been identified as a risk factor for pneumococcal disease), and exacerbation of family violence and mental health issues are all potential outcomes from ...
Between 2014–15 and 2018–19, after adjusting for inflation, the median gross weekly personal income for Indigenous Australians aged 18 and over fell by 5.6%, from $518 to $489 (Figure 1).
Amounts you don't include in your tax return
There are some amounts don't need to be include as income in your tax return. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Indigenous holding entities don't need to pay income tax or capital gains tax on native title payments or benefits.
But Aboriginal people are subject to the same social security laws and entitled to no more (and no less) government sponsorship than any other Australian. There has never been a government program that distributed free houses or cars, and Aboriginal students have to pay for university like everyone else.
shorter life expectancy. higher rates of infant mortality. poorer health. lower levels of education and employment.
Homelessness can be caused by:
A shortage of affordable housing. Physical and/or mental health issues. Unemployment or job loss. Drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.
Causes of homelessness
Domestic violence is the single biggest cause of homelessness in Australia.
Consistent with many previous studies, Indigenous Australians have, on average, lower total income than non-Indigenous Australians, with this difference being largest for those who are full-time employed. The difference is also larger for males compared to females.
At the end of the June quarter of 2016, around 45% of Indigenous Australians aged 15 and over (220,800 people) were receiving some form of Centrelink income support payment, compared with 26% of non-Indigenous Australians of this age (4.9 million people).
More than one in 10 individuals reported having diagnosed anxiety (16.5%) or depression (13.3%) (ABS 2019). Two-thirds of Indigenous adults reported 'low or moderate' levels of psychological distress (66%).
Based on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) projections, the number of Indigenous Australians in 2021 was estimated to be 881,600.
It is estimated that massacres by white settlers resulted in the death of approximately 11% of the Aboriginal population between 1836 and 1851.
Is being homeless a crime? First, being homeless is not a criminal offence anywhere in Australia. If such a law were passed it would breach multiple long-standing legal principles. It would also breach various domestic and international charters and covenants on citizenship as well as human and civil rights.
Australians known to be at particular risk of homelessness include those who have experienced family and domestic violence, young people, children on care and protection orders, Indigenous Australians, people leaving health or social care arrangements, and Australians aged 55 or older.
Older women are the fastest growing group to experience homelessness in Australia. The 2016 Census reported that the number of women over 55 experiencing homelessness increased by 31% to 6,866 compared to 2011.