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Report on the NSW Government's Implementation of the Recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
Integrated provision of infrastructure, housing and essential services That the integrated analysis of infrastructure, housing, essential services and health as illustrated by the Nganampa Health Council’s UPK Report be considered as a model worthy of study and adaptation for the development of community planning processes in other States and areas. Government’s original position: Supported Revised government position: Supported Agencies responsible for implementation: Department of Aboriginal Affairs; Department of Health; Department of Urban Affairs And Planning Implementation report New South Wales has adopted an Environmental Health maintenance project for Aboriginal communities based on the Pitjantjatjara, South Australian experience. The pilot of the “Housing for Health” project is currently being undertaken in Muli Muli Community in Northern New South Wales. This Housing for Health process involves 4 surveys and a capital upgrade project between the first and second survey. Consultation with the local communities was integral to the project and its evaluation. The project evaluation information will be used in the Aboriginal Community Development Program. At Muli Muli, the process has been completed and the results demonstrate the suitability of this process for use in other New South Wales communities’ infrastructure. Three communities were targeted for a pilot project of Capital Works enhancement of health care facilities – Muli Muli, Dareton and Wilcannia. Outcomes included:
NSW Health has undertaken four further Housing for Health projects since the pilot. These projects are located at Mehi Crescent, Stanley Village, La Perouse and Bellbrook communities. All projects have reached completion of the first survey. An architect is currently specifying work for completion during the capital upgrade program. Regional enhancement on the planning, management and provision of infrastructure services to Aboriginal communities is being finalised. A Regional Agreement has been finalised between the NSW Government and the Murdi Paaki Regional Council to co-ordinate planned action for housing and infrastructure provision in six Aboriginal communities in Western New South Wales. Management and co-ordination of this project was formally transferred to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs as part of the Aboriginal Community Development Project. Through the ACDP, extensive consultation and negotiation with Indigenous communities has taken place to inform holistic planning of the provision of housing, essential services and community infrastructure. The community-based managers facilitate the development of infrastructure plans that are inclusive of the training needs of local Aboriginal people as it is envisaged that they will, in effect manage and undertake the ongoing maintenance of the services provided. ACDP will improve the co-ordination of the delivery of essential services to Aboriginal communities. NSW Health manages the only program to train Aboriginal people to become Environmental Health Officers (EHO). This program combines academic training through a Bachelor of Applied Science (Environmental Health) with professional development as a trainee in Public Health Units across the State. This program is into the third year, and has been expanded to include two other positions part funded by Public Health Units. It is anticipated that additional part funded trainees will also be recruited for commencement in 1999. Environmental Health Infrastructure Project of the Aboriginal Environmental Health Forum is co-chaired by the Departments of Health and Aboriginal Affairs. The Forum members were drawn from both the elected and administrative arms of ATSIC, the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, various State departments and peak Aboriginal groups including the Aboriginal Housing Development Committee and the Aboriginal “Housing for Health” project at Muli Muli was a pilot of the Aboriginal Health Resource Co-operative. Aspects of the environmental health infrastructure project will continue within the framework of the new Aboriginal Communities Development Program (ACDP) co-ordinated by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. Implementation status Partially implemented Future reporting in Part A
Housing policy to cover both physical housing and necessary support services That any future accommodation needs survey include not only an emphasis on the physical housing needs but also incorporate assessments that relate to management, administrative and housing support needs; in respect of remote communities such surveys should also establish the need for hostel accommodation in service towns where people may be required to spend time utilising services not available in remote areas. Government’s original position: Supported Revised government position: Supported Agencies responsible for implementation: Aboriginal Housing Office Implementation report The emphasis in the Aboriginal Housing Program has been on the provision of housing through a community-based program Housing Aboriginal Communities Program (HACP). Where organisations cannot demonstrate effective management then dwellings are to be acquired under the Housing for Aborigines (HFA) program and training and development strategy is implemented with the community based organisation. The aim is to meet the twin objectives of building a viable community based housing sector as well as enabling Aboriginal people to have greater choice between housing providers. The Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) has undertaken several initiatives to address the administrative and housing needs of the Aboriginal community in the 1998/99-2000/01 plan. These are discussed under the following strategies. Strategies Funding The Community Housing and Infrastructure Program (CHIP) to be managed by the AHO from 1998-99 is designed to provide funds for housing and infrastructure for Aboriginal communities. The infrastructure component provides capital funds for rural and remote communities where such services are not provided by mainstream providers. Some recurrent funds are also provided for maintenance and administration services. Funding for the Aboriginal housing program has moved away from a capital based approach to include non-capital works. As discussed under Recommendation 325, funds have been allocated to non-capital works in 1998/99-2000/01 plan to meet the training, administrative and management requirements of the housing organisations. Training plan A key strategy of the AHO is to improve the viability of the Aboriginal Housing Sector. This will be linked to the implementation of the Training Plan that meets the management, administration and the training needs of Aboriginal housing organisations. During 1998 the AHO continued to fund the resource project. The project was involved in customising the HATPIN training package that resulted in the “Housing Our Mob Everywhere” training package. Modules of the training package will be piloted in early 1999. Information and policy framework Identifying housing and related needs through Expressions of Interest Planning for the 1998-99 Aboriginal Housing Program is based on expressions of interest called for from the Aboriginal Housing Organisations. This signifies a move away from a submission-based approach to one based on needs. The housing organisations that have been funded under the HACP have provided information on management, properties, repair and maintenance apart from identifying housing need and training requirements. Registration process The Registration of Aboriginal Housing Organisations under the Aboriginal Housing Act 1998 is another important project aimed at improving the capacity of Aboriginal housing organisations. Under the Act the AHO will establish a register of Aboriginal Housing Providers who are eligible to receive funding for Aboriginal housing. Currently all organisations that have been approved for funding under HACP (47) and CHIP for 1998-99 are being registered. The key factors that determine eligibility for registration are that the organisation is controlled by Aboriginal people, is incorporated and provides or proposes to provide housing for Aboriginal people. The register will include organisational details, information on housing, related financial performance and information that relates to housing owned or managed by registered Aboriginal housing organisations. Deed of Agreement The housing organisations approved for funding under HACP have to enter into individual agreements with the AHO and provide reports relating to housing and financial management. The Deed of Agreement has been sent out to the organisations. The agreements will aim to ensure that housing services are of an appropriate standard, houses are sustainable and that organisations are accountable for the services they deliver. Through the Deed of Agreement the AHO aims to assist the community-based organisations in improving administration and management of housing. Research and policy development New South Wales has also taken an active role in the Commonwealth State Working Group on Indigenous Housing (CSWGIH). The group reports to housing Ministers and develops strategies. The group has undertaken a range of research initiatives and some of these include:
The overall objective of these initiatives is to improve housing for tenants and address housing related health outcomes for Aboriginal communities. Apart from involvement in planning and program management the AHO also has a range of reporting and monitoring responsibilities to the State and Commonwealth Governments with respect to funded organisations and housing need in general. The AHO will be able to meet these reporting requirements through the registration process. Achievements A Bilateral Agreement that provides the framework for partnership in the planning, delivery and management of housing and related programs has been signed between the NSW Government, Commonwealth Government and ATSIC. The Agreement also provides for pooling of Aboriginal housing funds into one body, the Aboriginal Housing Office. There will be a staged transfer of funds to the AHO, which is now responsible for delivery of the CHIP program. The establishment of the Aboriginal Housing Office in July 1998 clearly demonstrates the commitment of New South Wales in meeting all housing and related needs of the Aboriginal community. In planning for the 1998/99-2000/01Aboriginal Housing Program, the AHO has adopted a resource allocation method that will establish housing need at a regional level. The resource allocation method is based on adequacy of housing in terms of bedroom needs, cost of construction and spot purchase of dwellings at the State and Regional level. Trends in 1996 Census demographic data on Aboriginal communities have been incorporated in the resource allocation methodology. The AHO has commenced planning for the establishment of regional offices. Through the regional offices the AHO is providing for structural and administrative mechanism which will assist in meeting the needs of the community. As already discussed under the thematic response Regional Aboriginal Housing Committees have been set up in each region, which will better identify housing need and provide for integrated service delivery including management and administration. As a first step for integrated program delivery, planning for the 1998/99-200/01 has been undertaken on the basis of regional boundaries, which align with ATSIC regions. As a part of the Commonwealth State Working Group initiatives on Indigenous housing, an independent consultancy on the financial viability of organisations was conducted nationally with an aim to improve the operating viability of the Aboriginal housing sector. The report “Validation of the Report: Financial Viability of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing organisations” has been finalised for submission to the Ministers. New South Wales had the lead role in this initiative during 1998. New South Wales has participated in the development of performance indicators for the Indigenous-housing sector at a national level and in the first attempt at a national data collection in October 1998. To assist in identifying the level of need and allocating resources the ATSIC/ABS will be conducting the Community Housing and Infrastructure Needs Survey (CHINS) nationally in August-October 1999. New South Wales has participated in the development of data items for the survey through the State Facilitation group established by the ABS & ATSIC during 1998. Implementation status Partially implemented Future reporting in Part A
Assistance to be given to Aboriginal groups to undertake their own housing projects That:
(b) Adult education providers, and particularly Aboriginal community controlled adult education providers, be encouraged and supported to provide:
(ii) courses for training Aboriginal persons as community advisers and teachers in home making. Government’s original position: Supported Revised government position: Supported Agencies responsible for implementation: Department of Education and Training Implementation report The Department of Education and Training does not directly provide funds for homemaker services. It does provide assistance for domestic housing construction and related industries through its participation in the Health Infrastructure Program of the Aboriginal Health Infrastructure Forum. The data for 1998 from providers in the Adult and Community Education sector is not yet available. Information gathered from the 1997 data on Aboriginal participation indicates that Aboriginal people participated in courses that provide skills relevant to the areas of homemaking and domestic budgeting, including cooking, healthy heart cooking and various styles of cooking; and survival skills in the kitchen. These courses were attended by Aboriginal people at most colleges. During 1997, a course in catering was conducted in Menindee Community College; a Teaching in ACE and Tutor Training Module I was conducted in Ivanhoe; personal care was conducted at Wyong; cooking was conducted at Condobolin; Workplace Training Category 1; Healthy Residents and Personal Care were conducted at Narrabri. At Wagga Community College, Aboriginal students participated in Finance courses. Department of Education and Training funds, under the Contracted Training Provision Program, the Diploma in Development Studies (Aboriginal Communities). This course is delivered by Tranby Aboriginal Co-operative, an Aboriginal controlled community provider. Implementation status Partially implemented Future reporting in Part A
Adoption of the Tangentyere model of service delivery That the model which Tangentyere Council offers for integrating the various service delivery and administrative needs associated with Aboriginal housing be studied in other regions. Government’s original position: Supported Revised government position: Agencies responsible for implementation: Aboriginal Housing Office Implementation report While the model of Tangentyere Council in Northern Territory is a good example of integrated service delivery, the state of New South Wales has its own and different needs in terms of the requirements of the Aboriginal community. The Aboriginal Housing Plan 1998/99 – 2000/01 aims to meet these requirements through a continued emphasis on integrated program planning and service delivery. In line with the guiding principles of self determination and self management by Aboriginal people and the need to provide for effective integration and co-ordination in the planning and management of services, several initiatives have been undertaken by the Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) for the 1998/99-2000/01 Aboriginal Housing Plan. Some of these include:
During the first half of 1998, the Division of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing (DATSIH) which has now been superseded by the AHO, was a participant in the NSW Government’s Environmental Health Infrastructure Project Forum (AEHIF) under the leadership of the Department of Health. The Forum aimed to provide a whole of government approach to the needs of selected Aboriginal communities. The AHO co-ordinated the implementation of 1996-98 Aboriginal Housing Plan with other infrastructure initiatives. The AHO worked with the forum on co-ordinating the delivery of the HACP program with the activities of all Government agencies. The Muli Muli project has substantially progressed with 4 HACP houses under construction through an apprenticeship and training project. An additional 3 dwellings are proposed for funding under the 1999-2000 HACP. The project has resulted in improved infrastructure in the community, additional housing and the mitigation of various health and safety problems. The project has also positively influenced subsequent decisions on Aboriginal housing design in the region. The Department of Health has released the report on the “Housing for Health” (HealtHabitat) initiative which was conducted as part of the project. The work of the AEHIF has been superseded by and incorporated into the Aboriginal Community Development Program (ACDP) under the auspices of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. The ACDP has effectively replaced the AEHIF, and is based on a holistic co-ordinated, whole of government approach. It is a major new government housing and infrastructure initiative involving $200 million over 7 years for construction and upgrading. The AHO will be working in close co-operation with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs on this program. The AHO also participated in the Murdi Paaki Regional Agreement between the NSW Government and the Murdi Paaki Regional Council (ATSIC) which established a pilot framework for co-ordinated delivery of housing and infrastructure programs in the region. The Aboriginal Housing Office and the Department of Housing are participating in the project through the funding and delivery of $1.5 million in housing construction in Goodooga, Coonamble, and Walgett which will commence in 1999. As a separate initiative the AHO is also piloting the application of HealtHabitat methodology at a regional level in Murdi Paaki. During 1998 this has involved extensive negotiations with HealtHabitat and the Murdi Paaki Regional Council and the development of the agreement on the feasibility stage which will commence in January 1999. The Department of Housing is establishing new client service positions called Aboriginal Specialist Support Officers. The prime role of these positions will be to integrate service delivery for Aboriginal clients and assist client service teams in the management of clients with complex needs. This will involve the development of case plans and service agreements with other service providers, eg Health, Department of Community Services, etc, regarding the provision of support services for individual clients in public housing. Implementation status Fully Implemented No further reporting
Assistance for Aboriginal groups in relation to home maintenance That the question of providing assistance to Aboriginal housing organisations in relation to administration costs and the cost of repair of housing stock receive close attention. In this respect the CDEP scheme appears to offer an excellent opportunity for communities to solve some of the problems of the cost of housing repairs whilst at the same time providing work of a type that opens the way for training in important areas of skill development. Government’s original position: Supported Revised government position: Supported Agencies responsible for implementation: Aboriginal Housing Office Implementation report In the 1998/99-2000/01 NSW Aboriginal Housing Plan a priority for the Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) will be the development of a strategy to address the backlog of repairs and maintenance for houses managed by Aboriginal Housing Organisations. This is one of the key issues to be addressed in ensuring that the sector is viable and the houses are safe and sustainable. In recognition of this need a budget of $2.5 million has been allocated for the Housing Aboriginal Communities Program (HACP) upgrade in 1998-99. $2 million has been allocated to the regional pilot of the HealtHabitat methodology, the remaining $500,000 has been allocated to upgrading work on HACP dwellings outside the trial. The HealtHabitat approach focuses on the health, safety and functioning of dwellings within Aboriginal communities through surveying individual houses and providing closely supervised upgrading and maintenance work as a means to improve the community’s health. Community members are trained to undertake the survey in order to identify and prioritise the maintenance work needed. The survey also identifies additional maintenance and upgrading work which would be beneficial but which is not essential for the health, safety or basic functioning of the dwelling. Six Aboriginal communities including Dareton, Gulargambone, Coonamble, Weilmoringle, Ivanhoe, Enngonia in western New South Wales have been selected for the project. Implementation has commenced after protracted and extensive negotiations with HealtHabitat and the Murdi Paaki Regional Council (ATSIC). A feasibility study that will result in the development of the implementation plan will commence in 1999. A key response of the AHO to promoting the viability of the Aboriginal housing sector will be the implementation of a co-ordinated response to the training needs of Aboriginal housing organisations based on the NSW Training Plan which was developed in December 1997. The training strategy has been completed and endorsed by the AHO board. The long term training plan aims at improving the skills of Aboriginal housing managers to manage their properties more efficiently, fairly and sustainably. The training will be culturally appropriate, outcome focused and linked to a more regulated support and resources system. Housing workers, management committees and tenants of Aboriginal Housing Organisations will be able to receive training assistance under the plan. Future staff of the AHO will also undertake training. The Housing Our Mob Equally (HOME) housing management training resource developed during 1998 is based on the National Competency Standards Scheme developed by the community services and health industry. This will enable participants under the training plan to gain recognised qualifications as Aboriginal community housing workers. The work undertaken by Yarnteen Aboriginal Corporation in the Hunter region is another project that has resulted in strong links with the CDEP. The Housing for Aborigines (HFA) upgrading program will also link with the CDEP. By establishing systems which ensure the ongoing management of housing stock, the HealthHabitat methodology is expected to reduce the funds required for upgrading and maintaining dwellings. A NSW Demonstration Project is being planned which will identify better ways to maximise housing outcomes. The project aims to build on the successful developments in the HealthHabitat and Aboriginal Health Infrastructure Forum projects and integrate other related support projects such as:
The CDEP is a Commonwealth funded program managed through ATSIC and is continually being refined. The Department of Housing has contracted Aboriginal housing organisations and companies to undertake construction work and repairs and maintenance work throughout the year. Many of the projects have resulted in links with CDEP. Implementation status Partially implemented Future reporting in Part A |
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