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Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Community Insights
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Housing circumstances and health

Housing conditions

In 2018–19, surveys showed that 13% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households lacked 1 or more basic household facilities (a functioning washing machine, shower, fridge, sewerage system, etc.) and 33% of Indigenous households reported 1 or more major structural problems (major cracks in walls, major plumbing problems, etc.).

Dwellings lacking 1 or more basic household facilities and/or bearing 3 or more major structural problems were deemed as not meeting an acceptable standard of housing (ABS 2016a). One-fifth (20%) of Indigenous households did not meet this standard.

Furthermore, those living in remote areas were more likely to report problems with the condition of their dwellings than those in non-remote areas. For example:

  • 39% of Indigenous households in Very remote areas lacked 1 or more basic household facilities, compared with 9% of Indigenous households in Major cities (Figure HH 4a).
  • 46% of Indigenous households in remote parts of Australia (Remote and Very remote areas combined) reported 1 or more major structural problems, compared with 32% of Indigenous households in Major cities (Figure HH 4b).
  • Collectively, 43% of Indigenous households in Very remote areas lacked 1 or more basic household facilities and/or reported 3 or more major structural problems compared with 17% of Indigenous households in Major cities (Figure HH 4c).
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Among the types of facilities that were lacking or not working in Indigenous households, facilities for preparing food were the most common reported in 2018–19. Almost 1 in 10 Indigenous households (9% or 32,200 households) did not have working facilities for preparing food in 2018–19, rising to 1 in 5 (21% or 9,700 households) in remote parts of Australia. Working facilities for washing clothes or bedding were also lacking in 14% of remote Indigenous households (Figure HH 5a).

In terms of structural problems, major cracks in walls or floors were the most common problem reported by Indigenous households in both non-remote (12%) and remote areas (18%). More than 1 in 10 remote Indigenous households reported 1 or more of the following: major plumbing problems (16%), walls or windows that were not straight (15%) or major electrical problems (11%) (Figure HH 5b).

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