Public rental housing 2008-09

January 2010

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© Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010

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This publication is part of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Housing assistance data development series. A complete list of the Institute’s publications is available from the Institute’s website <www.aihw.gov.au>. 

ISSN 978-1-74249-009-0
ISBN 1440-4303
Suggested citation 
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2009. Public rental housing 2008–09. Canberra: AIHW.  <www.aihw.gov.au/housing/assistance>.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 
Board Chair
Hon. Peter Collins, AM, QC
	
Director 
Penny Allbon

Any enquiries about or comments on this publication should be directed to:
Housing unit
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
GPO Box 570
Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: (02) 6244 1267
Email: housing@aihw.gov.au

Published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Please note that there is the potential for minor revisions of data in this report.
Please check the online version at <www.aihw.gov.au> for any amendments.

Contents
Summary	2
General notes	4
Summary data Items	6
Part 1: Amenity/location	9
Part 2: Affordability	12
Part 3: Match of dwelling to household size	13
Part 4: Low income	14
Part 5: Special Needs	15
Part 6: Priority access to those in greatest need	16
Part 7: Customer satisfaction	18
Part 8: Net recurrent cost per dwelling	19
Part 9: Occupancy rate	20
Part 10: Turnaround time	21
Part 11: Rent collection rate	22
Performance Indicator Specifications	23
References	30

Summary
Please refer to Writing for the AIHW: a style guide for tips on writing your summary.
State and territory housing authorities managed 336,464 public rental housing dwellings at 30 June 2009, of which approximately 98% were occupied. 
In total, 328,736 households lived in public rental dwellings at 30 June 2009 including 25,115 Indigenous households, which represented 8% of all households. 
Of all households, 88% paid less than market rent for the dwelling, with the remaining households paying market rent. On average, households paying a reduced rent in public rental housing paid about $121 per week less than the market rent for their dwelling.
During the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009, 20,753 households were newly allocated to public rental housing. Of these households, two-thirds were classified as being in ‘greatest need’. 1 There were 3,346 Indigenous households allocated public rental housing during 2007–08, representing 16% of all new allocations for the period. 
Figure 1 represents the proportion of new allocations by time since application for greatest need households and all households. The figure shows that 60% of greatest need households were assisted within 6 months of application. 
Figure 1: New allocations of public rental housing to households in greatest need and all households, by time to allocation, 2008–09
Vertical bar chart showing, for greatest need and all households, per cent on y-axis and time to allocation on x-axis.
A total of 177,652 households were on waiting lists for public rental housing at 30 June 2009, with 8% of these households classified as being in ‘greatest need’. 
Of the 302,371 households occupying public rental dwellings for which household composition and dwelling details were known, over 20,200 were moderately overcrowded in their allocated dwelling and over 5,200 were living in an overcrowded dwelling. Nearly 36,000 households were living in a dwelling that was underutilised, where there were two or more additional bedrooms to the standard. 2
Notes
Greatest need
The ‘greatest need’ national standard includes low income households that at the time of allocation were subject to one or more of the following circumstances: 
•	they were homeless 
•	their life or safety was at risk in their accommodation 
•	their health condition was aggravated by their housing 
•	their housing was inappropriate to their needs 
•	they had very high rental housing costs 
Proxy occupancy standard
The proxy occupancy standard is used to measure the appropriateness of housing related to the household size and household composition. The measure specifies the bedroom requirements of a household:
•	single adult only households require 1 bedroom 
•	single adult group households require 1 bedroom (per adult) 
•	couple with no children households require 2 bedrooms 
•	sole parent or couple with 1 child households require 2 bedrooms 
•	sole parent or couple with 2 or 3 children households require 3 bedrooms 
•	sole parent or couple with 4 children households require 4 bedrooms 
•	for sole parents or couple households with more than four children, the bedrooms required should be the same value as the total number of children in the household 
Households that require two or more additional bedrooms to meet the standard are considered to be overcrowded.
Households that require one additional bedroom to meet the standard are considered to be moderately overcrowded.
Households where there are two or more bedrooms additional to the number required are considered to be underutilised.

General notes
Scope
The data reported here relate only to public rental housing tenancies covered under the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement (for period 1 July 2008 - 31 Dec 2008) and the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA - for the period 1 Jan 2009 - 30 Jun 2009).  Included are households residing in public rental dwellings where the dwelling is either:				
•        owned by the housing authority; or							
•        leased from the private sector or other housing program areas and used for provision of public rental housing.									
This collection aims to exclude properties administered under community housing programs, Indigenous housing programs, and crisis and emergency accommodation programs for people who are homeless or who are experiencing other crises. Therefore, public rental properties leased to other program areas such as community housing, crisis accommodation and state owned and managed Indigenous housing are excluded.									
Properties no longer under the administration of the property manager/agency at 30 June 2009, including properties demolished, sold or disposed of, and properties not yet available to the property manager/agency at 30 June 2009 (such as those still under construction or being purchased) are also excluded.		

Coverage
Northern Territory
During 2008-09, 4096 Indigenous community housing dwellings were transferred to Remote Public Housing and are now managed by the Northern Territory Government. As part of this change in management a review on tenancy and property management information is underway. Data for these dwellings and associated tenancies are not reported in this collection, nor are tehy included in the Indigenous community housing collection.

Data Qualifications
Footnotes are supplied underneath each table - all footnotes are supplied by states and territories except for those listed under 'all'. In addition to qualifications detailed in the footnotes, the following qualifications apply to the reported data:									
•	Results for items S29, S30, S31, P8 and P11 were provided by jurisdictions in aggregate and not calculated via the data repository.								
•	Items S15, S16, P3 and P4 exclude the following households:	
–	those whose composition cannot be determined, due to uncertainties in estimating bedroom requirements
–	mixed composition households (from Tasmania and the Northern Territory), due to insufficient information being available
–	non-rebated households (from New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory), due to insufficient information being available.							
•	The waiting list time for calculating PA1 to PA6 refers to the period of time from the date the applicant was eligible for ‘greatest need’ assistance to the date assistance commenced. If an applicant transferred between waiting list categories, only the time spent on the waiting list from when the applicant met the greatest need definition is counted. Exceptions to this rule are footnoted.	
PA1 to PA6 exclude waiting list applicants who have missing greatest need and/or waiting list details.
PA7 to PA12 exclude waiting list applicants who have missing waiting list details.
The determination of greatest need was based on waiting list priority reason codes for all jurisdictions, except the Northern Territory where a greatest need status flag is used. Only priority reason codes that meet the nationally agreed definition are included.	

Symbols
. .	not applicable	
n.a.	not available	
n.p	not provided	
n.r	not reported	
no.	number	
$	Australian dollars	
%	per cent	
’000	thousands	

Summary data Items
Table 1.1: Public rental housing summary data, 2008–09
 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
At 30 June 2009	
S0	Total households	117,242	62,565	50,579	30,616	40,774	11,364	10,620	4,976	328,736	
S1	Total rebated households 	105,524	50,186	48,126	26,327	36,351	9,331	9,373	4,211	289,429	
For year ending 30 June 2009	
S2	Total new households	6,185	3,752	4,122	2,687	2,083	886	614	424	20,753	
S3	Total new Indigenous households	901	188	747	817	296	110	53	234	3,346	
S4	Total number of transferred households 	3,287	2,004	1,033	1,379	1,028	282	219	208	9,440	
At 30 June 2009	
S5	Total Indigenous households	9,800	1,396	4,089	5,254	1,519	762	363	1,932	25,115	
S6	New applicants on waiting list who have a ‘greatest need’	3,221	7,247	11,124	2,769	1,612	2,174	1,278	236	29,661	
S7	Total applicants on waiting list	47,413	47,731	22,504	21,239	24,706	3,542	2,564	3,757	173,456	
S8	Total tenantable dwellings	118,806	62,975	50,751	30,838	41,365	11,391	10,672	5,026	331,824	
S9	Total untenantable dwellings	79	1,340	338	341	276	109	117	133	2,733	
S10	Total rebated households paying 20% or less of assessable income in rent	8,547	6,327	8,429	7,340	8,820	2,501	923	2,756	45,643	
S11	Total rebated households paying >20% but not more than 25% of assessable income in rent	94,462	43,539	39,488	17,292	26,132	6,061	8,257	1,383	236,614	
S12	Total rebated households paying >25% but not more than 30% of assessable income in rent	2,023	17	125	1,523	148	763	38	26	4,663	
S13	Total rebated households paying more than 30% of assessable income in rent	199	13	10	146	29	5	62	31	495	
S14	Total rebated households for whom income details are known	105,231	49,896	48,052	26,301	35,129	9,330	9,280	4,196	287,415	
S15	Total households with moderate overcrowding	6,496	4,021	4,188	2,057	1,686	807	564	419	20,238	
S16	Total households with under-utilisation	12,305	5,270	5,530	2,706	7,203	1,207	1,340	205	35,766	
S17	Total dwellings in Major cities	97,614	46,845	34,467	22,275	32,805	. .	10,779	. .	244,785	
S18	Total dwellings in Inner regional Australia	17,149	14,537	8,370	3,029	2,851	8,493	10	. .	54,439	
(continued)
Table 1.1 (continued): Public rental housing summary data, 2008–09 
S19	Total dwellings in Outer regional Australia	3,768	3,342	7,163	3,097	5,970	2,998	. .	3,647	29,985	
S20	Total dwellings in Remote Australia	325	18	852	2,282	750	63	. .	1,354	5,644	
S21	Total dwellings in Very remote Australia	36	..	279	985	72	31	. .	194	1,597	
S22	Total dwellings in Migratory areas	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	
For year ending 30 June 2009 	
S29	Net rent turnover (days)	8.0	11.5	2.7	12.5	4.9	13.4	7.5	32.3	8.4	
S30	Opening gross rent debtors ($’000)	14,414	10,549	2,092	5,153	3,004	2,133	1,551	2,604	41,500	
S31	Closing gross rent debtors ($’000)	13,972	9,943	2,091	5,344	2,904	2,206	1,394	2,531	40,385	
 At 30 June 2009	
S32	Total dwellings undergoing major redevelopment	22	426	42	489	807	85	0	36	1,907	
Notes:
ALL
S10–S13 	Amounts of up to but excluding 0.5 per cent above the cut-off for a category are included in that category. For example, if rent charged/income × 100 = 20.4, then it is counted in the 'paying 20  per cent or less' category. 
S10–S13	Excludes households where either assessable income or rent charged is zero.
S15, S16 	Jurisdictions exclude various types of households as shown in the table below. For this reason, comparisons between jurisdictions' data should be made with caution.					
 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	
Total ongoing households	117,242	62,565	50,579	30,616	40,774	11,364	10,620	4,976	
Excludes:				 					
Non-rebated households	11,718	12,379	. .	. .	. .	. .	1,247	. .	
Mixed composition households	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	336	. .	490	
Households for whom composition cannot be determined	0	0	0	11	0	3	0	0	
Exclusions as a % of total ongoing households	10.0	19.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	11.7	9.8	
S17–S22, S30, S31	Due to rounding the national total may not equal the sum of jurisdictions’ data items. 								
NSW	
S0 	The number of households in public housing decreased in 2008–09, compared to 2007–08, due to upgrade and redevelopment activity and policy decisions to focus social housing growth on the community housing sector.		
S5	Data are not comparable with other jurisdictions' data as they are not calculated via the data repository but are based on the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, adjusted for Census undercounting of public housing households.	
S13	No household is charged more than 30 per cent of income for rent. Households in these categories are the result of rent and/or income details not having been updated.								
Vic	
S0	The number of households in public housing decreased in 2008–09, compared to 2007–08, due to upgrade and redevelopment activity and policy decisions to focus social housing growth on the community housing sector.				
S2, S3	Decreasing exits from public housing due to limited exit points into private rental have resulted in fewer vacancies in public housing, and lower allocations.								
S7	Excludes 1,293 applications eligible for both Indigenous and public rental housing as they are counted under the state owned and managed Indigenous housing data collection.								
S8, S9	The number of tenantable dwellings decreased in 2008-09 due to the large number of properties being held for upgrade, redevelopment, and disposal.								
S12, S13	No household is charged more than 25 per cent of assessable income for rent. Households in these categories are the result of rent and/or income details having not been updated or minor policy variations.					
Qld	
S3, S5	Data should be interpreted with caution as applicants for public housing assistance are asked during interview to self-identify their Indigenous status without necessarily providing evidence.							
S7	The number of applicants on the waiting list is an overestimate, as Queensland has a single waiting list for public housing and SOMIH. Approximately 30 per cent of Indigenous applicants will be housed in SOMIH.					
S12, S13	No household is charged more than 25 per cent of assessable income for rent. Non-zero numbers in these categories are the result of tenants not providing updated income details to the department.						
WA	
S8	Excludes dwellings leased to other organisations. 						
S10–S13	Data are based upon gross income (not assessable income).	
S12, S13	No household is charged more than 25 per cent of income for rent. Households in these categories are the result of rent and/or income details having not been updated or minor policy variations.
SA	
S1	Includes 1222 households reported as receiving a rebated rent without recent income details being declared, due to provisions of the Rent Assessments policy. 								
S3, S5	Data should be interpreted with caution as Indigenous information is self-identified and not mandatory.			
S6	Data should be interpreted with caution as some priority applicants may bypass the priority process in low wait time areas.
S12, S13	No household is charged more than 25 per cent of assessable income for rent. Households in these categories are the result of rent and/or income details having not been updated or minor policy variations.					
Tas	
S13	Generally households are charged less than 30 per cent of their assessable income as rent. However, combinations of different income sources and relationships within a household may result in some households paying slightly more.		
ACT	
S3, S5	Data should be interpreted with caution as Indigenous information is self-identified and not mandatory.	
S8	Excludes dwellings leased to community/other organisations.
S12, S13	No household is charged more than 25 per cent of assessable income for rent. Households in these categories are the result of rent and/or income details having not been updated or minor policy variations.					
NT
S12, S13	No household is charged more than 25 per cent of assessable income for rent. Households in these categories are the result of rent and/or income details having not been updated or minor policy variations.								

Part 1: Amenity/location
Table 1.2: Public rental housing: P1(a) Amenity, February–March 2007
 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
Sample size (number)	4,575	878	3,722	990	507	1,206	904	464	13,246	
Number of tenants who said this amenity aspect is important and meets their needs	
Amenity aspect	 	
Size of dwelling	2,773	1,347	1,172	697	984	248	273	105	7,599	
Modifications for special needs	1,050	554	520	306	407	107	110	44	3,098	
Easy access and entry	2,995	1,493	1,327	767	1,036	293	287	131	8,328	
Car parking	2,084	1,139	1,034	646	862	249	247	102	6,362	
Yard space and fencing	2,198	1,198	1,100	701	892	251	249	115	6,703	
Privacy of home	3,026	1,574	1,252	794	1,075	285	299	132	8,437	
Safety and security of home	2,810	1,489	1,456	791	978	258	262	133	8,177	
Number of tenants who said this amenity aspect is important and gave a valid answer to needs question	
Amenity aspect	 	
Size of dwelling	3,381	1,711	1,450	824	1,161	317	342	134	9,320	
Modifications for special needs	1,559	780	660	368	535	147	149	57	4,254	
Easy access and entry	3,408	1,690	1,434	819	1,113	324	325	143	9,256	
Car parking	2,613	1,439	1,308	816	986	298	307	133	7,899	
Yard space and fencing	3,026	1,641	1,391	847	1,109	335	329	147	8,823	
Privacy of home	3,916	2,005	1,632	984	1,351	376	385	168	10,817	
Safety and security of home	4,123	2,073	1,708	1,050	1,406	394	395	174	11,324	
Per cent of tenants who said this amenity aspect is important and meets their needs	
Amenity aspect	 	
Size of dwelling	82	79	81	85	85	78	80	78	82	
Modifications for special needs	67	71	79	83	76	73	74	77	73	
Easy access and entry	88	88	93	94	93	90	88	92	90	
Car parking	80	79	79	79	87	84	80	77	81	
Yard space and fencing	73	73	79	83	80	75	76	78	76	
Privacy of home	77	79	77	81	80	76	78	79	78	
Safety and security of home	68	72	85	75	70	65	66	76	72	
P1(a) Amenity	77	78	82	82	81	77	77	80	79	
Standard error (per cent)	0.8	1.7	0.8	1.4	2.1	1.5	1.6	2.3	0.4	
Notes: All
2007 data are not comparable with 2003 and earlier survey data due to significant changes in survey methodology including question changes and changes to the way performance indicators are derived.								
Care needs to be taken in interpreting small differences in the results that are affected by various sampling issues. For more information on errors and data caveats, see <http://www.aihw.gov.au/housing/assistance/nshs/nshs_2007/2007_nshs_pha_including_appendix_1.pdf>.
Results from the 2007 NSHS of public housing tenants are not comparable with those from the 2007 NSHS of SOMIH tenants due to differences in survey sample design and data collection methodologies.						
Source: Roy Morgan Research 2007.	

Table 1.3: Public rental housing: P1(b) Location, February–March 2007
 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
Sample size (number)	4,575	878	3,722	990	507	1,206	904	464	13,246	
Number of tenants who said this location aspect is important and meets their needs	
Location aspect	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Shops and banking facilities	3,350	1,694	1,478	790	1,219	321	323	129	9,305	
Public transport	3,193	1,614	1,272	599	994	265	280	112	8,329	
Parks & recreational facilities	2,092	1,117	935	523	670	164	219	81	5,802	
Emergency services, medical services/hospitals	3,367	1,693	1,461	811	1,112	313	303	122	9,183	
Child care facilities	611	306	339	134	159	60	51	30	1,690	
Educational and training facilities	1,315	620	665	282	393	116	130	66	3,587	
Employment/place of work	1,020	501	601	298	370	98	112	50	3,050	
Community and support services	2,359	1,304	1,000	534	786	224	230	95	6,533	
Family and friends	3,061	1,542	1,276	706	1,081	299	293	114	8,373	
Safety and security of the neighbourhood	2,644	1,494	1,285	779	1,052	274	291	119	7,938	
Number of tenants who said this location aspect is important and gave a valid answer to needs question	
Location aspect	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Shops and banking facilities	3,791	1,882	1,609	908	1,298	357	348	142	10,335	
Public transport	3,537	1,745	1,413	705	1,052	290	310	123	9,174	
Parks & recreational facilities	2,392	1,237	1,035	570	735	201	239	90	6,499	
Emergency services, medical services/hospitals	3,862	1,930	1,619	928	1,250	368	352	151	10,460	
Child care facilities	721	335	371	157	183	70	65	33	1,935	
Educational and training facilities	1,544	725	749	321	428	138	152	72	4,128	
Employment/place of work	1,299	618	703	346	416	126	145	60	3,712	
Community and support services	2,758	1,470	1,127	614	845	255	257	111	7,437	
Family and friends	3,622	1,741	1,445	831	1,190	340	332	126	9,629	
Safety and security of the neighbourhood	3,975	1,977	1,624	999	1,379	381	387	170	10,891	
Per cent of tenants who said this location aspect is important and meets their needs	
Location aspect	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Shops and banking facilities	88	90	92	87	94	90	93	91	90	
Public transport	90	92	90	85	95	91	90	91	91	
Parks & recreational facilities	87	90	90	92	91	82	92	90	89	
Emergency services, medical services/hospitals	87	88	90	87	89	85	86	81	88	
Child care facilities	85	91	91	85	87	85	78	90	87	
Educational and training facilities	85	86	89	88	92	84	85	91	87	
(continued)
Table 1.3 (contimued): Public rental housing: P1(b) Location, February–March 2007
Employment/place of work	79	81	86	86	89	78	78	83	82	
Community and support services	86	89	89	87	93	88	89	85	88	
Family and friends	85	89	88	85	91	88	88	90	87	
Safety and security of the neighbourhood	67	76	79	78	76	72	75	70	73	
P1(b) Location	84	87	88	86	89	84	86	85	86	
Standard error (per cent)	0.7	1.5	0.7	1.5	1.9	1.4	1.5	2.3	0.4	

Notes: All	
2007 data are not comparable with 2003 and earlier survey data due to significant changes in survey methodology including question changes and changes to the way performance indicators are derived.	
Care needs to be taken in interpreting small differences in the results that are affected by various sampling issues. For more information on errors and data caveats, see <http://www.aihw.gov.au/housing/assistance/nshs/nshs_2007/2007_nshs_pha_including_appendix_1.pdf>.	
Results from the 2007 NSHS of public housing tenants are not comparable with those from the 2007 NSHS of SOMIH tenants due to differences in survey sample design and data collection methodologies.
Source: Roy Morgan Research 2007.									

Part 2: Affordability
Table 1.4: Public rental housing: P2 Affordability, 2008–09 for week of 30 June 2009
 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
AF1	Total rents charged 
($’000)	12,442.5	6,520.9	5,452.0	2,977.8	4,055.2	1,104.2	1,425.4	541.3	34,519.4	
AF2	Total market rent value of dwellings for which a rent was charged ($’000)	27,969.3	10,483.2	12,256.2	4,993.7	7,436.4	1,817.6	3,358.4	1,138.9	69,453.7	
P2(a)	Average weekly rental subsidy per rebated household ($)	147.1	79.0	141.4	76.6	93.0	76.5	206.2	141.9	120.7	
P2(b)	Proportion of rebated households spending not more than 30% of their income in rent 
(per cent)	99.8	100.0	100.0	99.4	99.9	99.9	99.3	99.3	99.8	

Notes: All	
AF1, AF2	Due to rounding the national total may not equal the sum of jurisdictions’ data items.	
P2(b) No rebated tenant pays more than 25 per cent of income as rent. Any discrepancy is due to rent and / or income details having not been updated.	

Part 3: Match of dwelling to household size
Table 1.5: Public rental housing: P3 Match of dwellings to household size, 2008–09 at 30 June 2009
 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
HS1	Total households with overcrowding	1,545	1,032	1,179	582	500	184	111	125	5,258	
HS2	Total households for which tenancy composition and dwelling details are known	105,400	50,186	50,579	30,605	40,774	11,025	9,370	4,432	302,371	
P3	Proportion of households where dwelling size is not appropriate due to overcrowding
(per cent)	1.5	2.1	2.3	1.9	1.2	1.7	1.2	2.8	1.7	

Notes: All
HS1, HS2, P3	Jurisdictions exclude various types of households as shown in the table below. For this reason, comparisons between jurisdictions’ data should be made with caution.	
 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	
Total ongoing households	117,242	62,565	50,579	30,616	40,774	11,364	10,620	4,976	
Excludes:				 					
Non-rebated households	11,718	12,379	. .	. .	. .	. .	1,247	. .	
Mixed composition households	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	336	. .	490	
Households for whom composition cannot be determined	0	0	0	11	0	3	0	0	
Exclusions as a % of total ongoing households	10.0	19.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	11.7	9.8	

Part 4: Low income
Table 1.6: Public rental housing: P4 Low income, 2008–09 at 30 June 2009
 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
Ll1a	New households with low income A	5,273	2,937	3,167	2,089	1,747	640	515	277	16,645	
Ll1b	New households with low income B	238	197	640	354	142	118	75	59	1,823	
Ll3	New households where income and tenancy composition details are known	5,517	3,135	3,813	2,455	1,895	758	592	338	18,503	
P4(a)	New low income households as a proportion of all new households: 
Low income A (per cent)	95.6	93.7	83.1	85.1	92.2	84.4	87.0	82.0	90.0	
P4(b)	New low income households as a proportion of all new households: 
Low income B (per cent)	4.3	6.3	16.8	14.4	7.5	15.6	12.7	17.5	9.9	

Notes: 
All	
LI1a, LI1b, LI3, P4(a), P4(b)	Jurisdictions exclude various types of households as shown in the table below. For this reason, comparisons between jurisdictions’ data should be made with caution.					
 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	
Total newly allocated and ongoing households	5,659	3,552	3,838	2,457	1,895	779	596	385	
Excludes newly allocated:				 					
Non-rebated households	142	417	. .	. .	. .	. .	4	. .	
Mixed composition households	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	21	. .	45	
Households for whom composition cannot be determined	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	
Exclusions as a % of total newly allocated households	2.5	11.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.7	0.7	11.7	

	LI1a, LI3, P4(a)	Includes households where assessable income was zero.								
Vic	
LI1a, LI3	The decrease is due to a lower number of total allocations, caused by limited exit points in private rental, with fewer vacancies in public housing.								
SA	
LI1a, LI1b, LI3, P4(a), P4(b)	Comparisons with other jurisdictions' data should be made with caution as South Australia uses assessable income as a proxy for gross income.										
Part 5: Special Needs
Table 1.7: Public rental housing: P5 Special needs, 2008–09 for year ending 30 June 2009
 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
SN1	New households with special needs	3,921	2,384	2,899	1,598	1,473	584	318	274	13,451	
P5	Proportion of new tenancies allocated to households with special needs (per cent)	63.4	63.5	70.3	59.5	70.7	65.9	51.8	64.6	64.8	

Notes										
NSW	
SN1, P5	The number of new special needs households has been undercounted in previous years, because the number of disability households was undercounted. From 2008-09, NSW has defined disability households to be households where at least one household member receives the Disability Support Pension or the Carer Payment. Under the new counting method, the revised P5 for the previous four years is 59.5 per cent (2007-08), 54.8 per cent (2006-07), 54.2 per cent (2005-06) and 52.8 per cent (2004-05).								
WA	
SN1, P5	Data should be interpreted with caution as disability and Indigenous information is self-identified.								
SA	
SN1, P5	Data should be interpreted with caution as disability and Indigenous information is self-identified and not mandatory.								
Tas	
SN1, P5	Data should be interpreted with caution as disability and Indigenous information is self-identified and non-mandatory.								
ACT	
SN1, P5	Data should be interpreted with caution as disability and Indigenous information is self-identified and not mandatory.								
NT	
SN1, P5	Data are not directly comparable with other jurisdictions' data as some households with disability are not included.	

Part 6: Priority access to those in greatest need
Table 1.8: Public rental housing: P6 Priority access to those in greatest need, 2008–09 for year ending 30 June 2009
 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
PA1	Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in less than 3 months	1,387	1,165	1,352	317	685	407	151	18	5,482	
PA2	Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in 3 months to less than 6 months	681	478	638	287	205	203	147	26	2,665	
PA3	Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in 6 months to less than 1 year	546	492	470	536	157	131	139	45	2,516	
PA4	Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in 1 year to less than 2 years	208	260	444	348	135	72	88	47	1,602	
PA5	Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in 2 years or more	91	160	1,010	28	37	17	36	15	1,394	
PA6	Total number of all new greatest need households allocated housing	2,913	2,555	3,914	1,516	1,219	830	561	151	13,659	
PA7	Total number of new households allocated housing in less than 3 months	1,839	1,651	1,417	520	829	445	156	69	6,926	
PA8	Total number of new households allocated housing in 3 months to less than 6 months	988	682	671	343	260	206	160	55	3,365	
PA9	Total number of new households allocated housing in 6 months to less than 1 year	979	623	497	627	259	137	154	85	3,361	
PA10	Total number of new households allocated housing in 1 year to less than 2 years	801	379	467	527	294	78	98	101	2,745	
PA11	Total number of new households allocated housing in 2 years or more	1,543	417	1,070	654	441	20	46	114	4,305	
PA12	Total number of all new households allocated housing 	6,150	3,752	4,122	2,671	2,083	886	614	424	20,702	
 	 	Per cent	
P6(a)	Proportion of new allocations to greatest need households in less than 3 months	75.4	70.6	95.4	61.0	82.6	91.5	96.8	26.1	79.2	
(continued)
Table 1.8: (continued) Public rental housing: P6 Priority access to those in greatest need, 2008–09 for year ending 30 June 2009
P6(b)	Proportion of new allocations to greatest need households in 3 months to less than 6 months 	68.9	70.1	95.1	83.7	78.8	98.5	91.9	47.3	79.2	
P6(c)	Proportion of new allocations to greatest need households in 6 months to less than 1 year 	55.8	79.0	94.6	85.5	60.6	95.6	90.3	52.9	74.9	
P6(d)	Proportion of new allocations to greatest need households in 1 year to less than 2 years 	26.0	68.6	95.1	66.0	45.9	92.3	89.8	46.5	58.4	
P6(e)	Proportion of new allocations to greatest need households in 2 years or more	5.9	38.4	94.4	4.3	8.4	85.0	78.3	13.2	32.4	
P6	Proportion of all new allocations to households in greatest need 	47.4	68.1	95.0	56.8	58.5	93.7	91.4	35.6	66.0	

Notes										
All	
PA6, PA12	Households for which allocation could not be determined are excluded. Numbers excluded are shown in the table below.	
 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	
PA6	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	
PA12	35	0	0	16	0	0	0	0	

NSW
	
PA1–PA6, P6(a)–P6(e), P6	Data are not directly comparable with other jurisdictions' data as households with 'very high rental housing costs' are excluded, and hence the 'greatest need' data represents an undercount. Most applicants in NSW face high private rental costs, and if this were deemed a reason for 'priority' housing, nearly all applicants would be classified as 'greatest need'.								
Vic	
PA1–PA12	The decrease is due to a lower number of total allocations, caused by limited exit points in private rental, with fewer vacancies in public housing.								
Qld	
PA1–PA6	Data is not comparable to previous years, with a new housing needs assessment commencing on 22 September 2008.								
SA	
PA1–PA6, P6(a)–P6(e), P6	Data should be interpreted with caution as some priority applicants may bypass the priority process in low wait time areas.								
NT	
PA1–PA6, P6(a)–P6(e), P6	Data should be interpreted with caution as priority date is not updated when households transfer to the priority category after initial wait list application.			

Part 7: Customer satisfaction
Table 1.9: Public rental housing: P7 Customer satisfaction, February–March 2007
 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
Sample size (number)	4,482	850	3,655	965	496	1,181	884	454	12,967	
 	Percentage of tenants reporting overall satisfaction	
Very satisfied	20	23	35	31	34	25	20	25	26	
Satisfied 	44	47	46	47	45	47	46	43	45	
P7 Customer satisfaction	64	70	81	78	80	72	66	67	71	
Standard error (per cent)	0.7	1.6	0.7	1.3	1.8	1.3	1.6	2.2	0.4	

Notes: All	
2007 data are not comparable to 2003 and earlier survey data due to significant changes in survey methodology including question changes and changes to the way performance indicators are derived.								
Care needs to be taken in interpreting small differences in the results that are affected by various sampling issues. For more information on errors and data caveats, see <http://www.aihw.gov.au/housing/assistance/nshs/nshs_2007/2007_nshs_pha_including_appendix_1.pdf>.
Results from the 2007 NSHS of public housing tenants are not comparable with those from the 2007 NSHS of SOMIH tenants due to differences in survey sample design and data collection methodologies.
The standard error is the measure of the expected variability of the value for the population being measured.	
The sample sizes reflect the number of unweighted valid responses and are therefore different to those provided at P1.								
Source: Roy Morgan Research 2007.

Part 8: Net recurrent cost per dwelling
Table 1.10: Public rental housing: P8 Net recurrent cost per dwelling, 2008–09 for year ending 30 June 2009
 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
DC1	Total net recurrent costs ($’000)	778,766	313,846	314,253	221,660	269,184	92,076	83,464	68,580	2,141,830	
P8	Average cost of providing assistance (excluding capital) per dwelling ($)	6,549	4,813	6,146	7,000	6,342	7,498	7,736	13,201	6,366	

Notes										
All	
DC1	Results are not calculated via the data repository but are supplied in aggregate, by jurisdictions.
DC1	Due to rounding, the national total may not equal the sum of jurisdictions’ data items.								
Vic	
P8	Calculation based on 65,207 dwellings, which includes social housing properties that are owned and administered by the Director of Housing but not directly tenanted for residential purposes (for instance, dwellings used as community facilities or leased to other government departments).    								
WA	
DC1, P8	Data should be interpreted with caution as they include the costs for dwellings leased to other organisations that are excluded from the total number of dwellings.								
Tas	
P8	Total net recurrent costs are derived using the total number of public housing dwellings at 30 June 2009 (11,585) plus 695 Community Tenancy properties. These properties were funded under the general program, with maintenance, rates and insurance being the responsibility of Housing Tasmania. As such, property costs for community tenancies are properly apportioned across the total general program portfolio.		

Part 9: Occupancy rate
Table 1.11: Public rental housing: P9 Occupancy rate, 2008–09 at 30 June 2009
 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
OR1	Total occupied dwellings	117,242	62,565	50,579	30,613	40,774	11,364	10,620	4,922	328,679	
OR2	Total dwellings	118,907	64,741	51,131	31,668	42,448	11,585	10,789	5,195	336,464	
P9	Occupancy rate (per cent)	98.6	96.6	98.9	96.7	96.1	98.1	98.4	94.7	97.7	

Notes										
NSW	
OR1	The number of households in public housing decreased in 2008–09, compared to 2007–08, due to upgrade and redevelopment activity and policy decisions to focus social housing growth on the community housing sector.								
Vic	
OR1, OR2	Data are unreconciled and may not match published jurisdictional annual data. Excludes vacant moveable units awaiting relocation. The number of households in public housing decreased in 2008–09, compared to 2007–08, due to upgrade and redevelopment activity and policy decisions to focus social housing growth on the community housing sector.
Includes properties undergoing upgrade and redevelopment work, which are not available for occupancy.

Part 10: Turnaround time
Table 1.12: Public rental housing: P10 Turnaround time, 2008–09 For year ending 30 June 2009
 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
TT1	Total days that dwellings were vacant	184,258	100,725	122,398	150,124	38,962	26,758	20,149	45,920	689,294	
TT2	Total vacancy episodes	9,110	3,770	4,974	4,569	1,717	1,004	557	594	26,295	
P10	Average turnaround time (days)	20.2	26.7	24.6	32.9	22.7	26.7	36.2	77.3	26.2	
Notes										
Vic	
P10	Data should be interpreted with caution as the legal tenancy start date (date from which rent is paid) is used as the vacancy end date. In practice, tenants may sign tenancy agreements and receive keys several days earlier. Victoria identifies normal vacancies as those that require only standard maintenance procedures. Turnaround time varies from other published jurisdictional data due to the inclusion of hard to let properties and separated vacancy episodes for dwellings that have undergone major redevelopment work.								
NT	
TT1, TT2, P10	Data are not comparable with other jurisdictions' data as vacancies that are not normal cannot be identified and excluded.

Part 11: Rent collection rate
Table 1.13: Public rental housing: P11 Rent collection rate, 2008–09  for year ending 30 June 2009

 	 	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Total	
RA1	Total rent collected from tenants ($’000)	648,947	320,491	276,510	154,765	219,960	58,339	71,878	29,238	1,780,127	
RA2	Total rent charged to tenants ($’000)	647,528	325,457	278,548	152,751	219,860	58,944	71,927	29,019	1,784,034	
P11	Total rent collected as a percentage of rent charged (per cent)	100.2	98.5	99.3	101.3	100.0	99.0	99.9	100.8	99.8	

Notes: All	
RA1, RA2, P11	Results are not calculated via the data repository but are supplied in aggregate by jurisdictions.								
RA1, RA2		Due to rounding the national total may not equal the sum of jurisdictions’ data items.								
P11	Payment arrangements for rent in some jurisdictions mean that rent collected over a 12-month period may be higher than rent charged over that period.

Performance Indicator Specifications
P1 Amenity/location
This indicator provides a measure of the amenity (a) and location (b) of dwellings as perceived by public rental housing tenants. This indicator has two components: P1(a) Amenity and P1(b) Location. Data for this performance indicator were collected via the 2007 National Social Housing Survey (NSHS) of public housing tenants. Further detail on the NSHS can be obtained at www.aihw.gov.au/housing/assistance/nshs/. 
Question 15 of the NSHS of public housing tenants asked about the importance and adequacy of the following amenities to their household: 
•	size of home (dwelling)
•	modifications for special needs
•	ease access and entry
•	car parking
•	yard space and fencing
•	privacy of home
•	safety/security of home
•	safety/security of neighbourhood
The result for the performance indicator is calculated as:
P1(a) = [Number of tenants who said the amenity aspect is important and meets their needs (times 100)] over [Number of tenants who said the amenity is important and gave a valid answer to needs question (meets or doesn’t meet their needs).]
P1(b) Location
Question 16 of the NSHS of public housing tenants asked about the importance and adequacy of the location of their dwelling in relation to these specific facilities and services:
•	shops and banking facilities
•	public transport
•	parks and recreational facilities
•	emergency services, medical services/hospitals
•	child care facilities
•	educational and training facilities
•	employment/place of work
•	community and support services
•	family and friends
•	safety/security of neighbourhood.
The result for the performance indicator is calculated as:
P1(b) = [Number of tenants who said the location aspect is important and meets their needs times 100] over [Number of tenants who said the location aspect is important and gave a valid answer to needs question (meets or doesn’t meet their needs)]
P2 Affordability
This indicator assesses the level of housing affordability within public rental housing. It has two components:
a.	average weekly rental subsidy per rebated household, calculated as:

P2(a) – (AF2 minus AF1) over S1

AF1     Total rent charged to tenants for week of 30 June 2009
AF2     Total market rent value of dwellings for which a rent was charged for week of 30 June 2009
S1        Total rebated households
 
b.	the proportion of rebated households spending not more than 30% of their income in rent, calculated as:
P2(b) = [(S10 + S11 + S12) times 100] over S14
c.	S10      Number of rebated households paying 20% or less of assessable income in rent at 30 June 2009
S11      Number of rebated households paying more than 20% but not more than 25% of assessable income in rent at 30 June 2009
S12      Number of rebated households paying more than 25% but not more than 30% of assessable income in rent at 30 June 2009
S14      Total number of rebated households occupying public rental housing for whom income details are known at 30 June 2009
P3 Match of dwelling to household size
This indicator measures the proportion of households where dwelling size is not appropriate due to overcrowding. Overcrowding occurs where two or more additional bedrooms are required to satisfy the Proxy Occupancy Standard. The Proxy Occupancy Standard is:

Household component	Dwelling size required	
Single adult only	1 bedroom	
Single adult (group)	1 bedroom (per adult)	
Couple with no children	2 bedrooms	
Sole parent or couple with 1 child	2 bedrooms	
Sole parent or couple with 2 or 3 children	3 bedrooms	
Sole parent or couple with 4 or more children	Number of bedrooms equal to the number of children	

This indicator is calculated as follows:
P3 = (HS1 times 100) over HS2
HS1     Total number of households with overcrowding at 30 June 2009
HS2     Total number of households occupying public rental housing for which tenancy composition and dwelling details are known at 30 June 2009
P4 Low income
This indicator assesses the low income status of all households receiving assistance. It has two components:
a.	the number of new low income A households as a proportion of all newly allocated and ongoing households
b.	the number of new low income B households as a proportion of all newly allocated and ongoing households.
Low income A captures households that receive an income equivalent to or below 100% of government income support benefits at the pensioner rate while Low income B captures households with an income above 100% of the government income support benefits at the pensioner rate, but still below the effective cut-off for receiving any government income support benefits. 
The cut-off measures include:
•	adult (single or couple) pension rate 1
•	where eligible, family tax benefit part A (up to the full rate)
•	income-free areas for both adults and children
•	pharmaceutical allowance.
P4 is calculated as follows:
P4(a) = (LI1a times 100) over LI3
P4(b) = (LI1b times 100) over LI3
LI1a     Total number of new households with low income A at 30 June 2009
LI1b     Total number of new households with low income B at 30 June 2009
LI3       Total number of new households where income and tenancy composition details are known at 30 June 2009
P5 Special needs
This indicator assesses the special needs 2 status of all households receiving assistance. Specifically, this is the proportion of new tenancies that are allocated to households with special needs which are defined as low income households:
•	that satisfy the Indigenous household definition; or 
•	that have a household member with a disability; or 
•	where a principal tenant is aged 24 years or under; or 
•	where a principal tenant is aged 75 years or more.
This performance indicator is calculated as follows:
P5 = (SN1 times 100) over S2
SN1     Total number of new households with special needs for year ending 30 June 2009
S2        Total number of new households assisted for year ending 30 June 2009
P6 Priority access to those in greatest need
This indicator provides a measure of whether households in greatest need are given priority access to housing, by assessing the proportion of new allocations to households in greatest need that were allocated housing in: 
•	under 3 months (P6(a)) 
•	3 months to less than 6 months (P6(b))
•	6 months to less than 1 year (P6(c))
•	1 year to less than 2 years (P6(d))
•	2 years or more (P6(e)).
P6 provides the proportion of total new allocations in the year ending 30 June to households that met the definition of greatest need.
Greatest need households are defined as low income households that at the time of allocation were subject to one or more of the following circumstances:
•	they were homeless
•	their life or safety was at risk in their accommodation 
•	their health condition was aggravated by their housing 
•	their housing was inappropriate to their needs
•	they had very high rental housing costs (AIHW 2006).
The indicators are calculated as follows:

P6(a) = (PA1 times 100) over PA7

P6(b) = (PA2 times 100) over PA8

P6(c) = (PA3 times100) over PA9

P6(d) = (PA4 times100) over PA10

P6(e) = (PA5 times100) over PA11
P6 = (PA6 times100) over PA12

PA1     Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in less than 3 months for year ending 30 June 2009

PA2     Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in 3 months to less than 6 months for year ending 30 June 2009

PA3     Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in 6 months to less than 1 year for year ending 30 June 2009

PA4     Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in 1 year to less than 2 years for year ending 30 June 2009

PA5     Total number of new greatest need households allocated housing in 2 years or more for year ending 30 June 2009

PA6     Total number of all new greatest need households allocated housing for year ending 30 June 2009

PA7     Total number of new households allocated housing in less than 3 months for year ending 30 June 2009

PA8     Total number of new households allocated housing in 3 months to less than 6 months for year ending 30 June 2009

PA9     Total number of new households allocated housing in 6 months to less than 1 year for year ending 30 June 2009

PA10   Total number of new households allocated housing in 1 year to less than 2 years for year ending 30 June 2009

PA11   Total number of new households allocated housing in 2 years or more for year ending 30 June 2009

PA12   Total number of all new households allocated housing for year ending 30 June 2009.
P7 Customer satisfaction
This indicator assesses the level of satisfaction expressed by tenants with regard to the service provided by state and territory public rental housing agencies. Data for this performance indicator were collected via the 2007 Public Housing NSHS. Further detail on the NSHS can be obtained at <www.aihw.gov.au/housing/assistance/nshs>.
Question 1 of the NSHS of public housing tenants asked respondents to indicate the statement which best described how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with the overall service provided by their housing authority over the previous 12 months. 
The level of overall satisfaction is calculated as:
P7 = [Number of tenants who said they were satisfied (very satisfied or satisfied) times 100] over [Number of tenants who gave a valid answer to the satisfaction question]
P8 Net recurrent cost per dwelling
This indicator assesses the cost of public housing rental provision by measuring the average cost of providing assistance per dwelling.
P8 is calculated as:
P8 = (DC1) over (OR2)
DC1    Total net recurrent costs for year ending 30 June 2009
OR2     Total number of dwellings at 30 June 2009
P9 Occupancy rate
This indicator assesses the utilisation of public rental housing stock by measuring the occupancy rate of rental housing stock.
P9 is calculated as:
P9 = (OR1 times 100) over OR2
OR1     Total number of occupied dwellings at 30 June 2009
OR2     Total number of dwellings at 30 June 2009
P10 Turnaround time
This indicator measures the average time taken for occupancy of dwelling stock that are available to rent through normal processes.
P10 is calculated as:
P10 = (TT1) over (TT2)
TT1      Total number of days that dwellings were vacant for year ending 30 June 2009
TT2      Total number of vacancy episodes for year ending 30 June 2009
P11 Rent collection rate
This indicator assesses the management of rent arrears by measuring the total rent actually collected as a percentage of total rent charged.
P11 is calculated as:
P11 = (RA1 times 100) over RA2
RA1     Total rent collected from tenants for year ending 30 June 2009
RA2     Total rent charged to tenants for year ending 30 June 2009
Notes
1.	The pensioner (single and couple) benefit rate has been selected as the ‘low income A’ household cut-off measure as pension rates are higher than rates for other allowances (e.g. unemployment benefits). This ensures that all persons receiving up to or equivalent to 100% of government income support benefits are captured. It should be noted that this group might include some income earners, provided their total income is not greater than 100% of the pensioner rate of government income support benefits. 
2.	Special needs definition in the state owned and managed Indigenous housing data collection is different from that used in mainstream data collections. Special needs is defined in the state owned and managed Indigenous housing data collection as low income households: 
•	that have a household member with a disability; or
•	where a principal tenant is aged 24 years or under; or
•	where a principal tenant is aged 50 years or more.

References
Roy Morgan Research 2007. 2007 National Social Housing Survey Public Housing National Report. Melbourne: Roy Morgan Research.