The government has committed almost $2bn to Indigenous housing and investment in remote communities over the next eight years.
The 2015-16 budget revealed new national partnership agreements on remote Indigenous housing and with the Northern Territory on investment in remote communities within the region.
The existing NPA on remote Indigenous housing will be replaced with a remote Indigenous housing strategy worth $1.1bn over three years. The money will be split between the New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Northern Territory governments to build and refurbish houses in remote communities.
Money will also go towards building employment-related accommodation in urban and regional areas.
A new NPA on Northern Territory remote aboriginal investment will be established with $988.2m over eight years to replace the NPA on stronger futures in the Northern Territory. The money is a net additional cost of $61.3m over four years and will prioritise schooling, community safety and employment.
Money from the NPA will also fund the Northern Territory government to take full responsibility on delivering municipal and essential services in remote Indigenous communities.
$4.8m will be provided in 2018-19 for the Indigenous advancement strategy so its funding does not decline in real terms because of the varying indexation rates on the different funding it now encapsulates.
