Housing assistance in Australia 2011

June 2011

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Suggested citation
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2011. Housing assistance in Australia 2011. 
Cat. no. HOU 236. Canberra: AIHW.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Board Chair
Hon. Peter Collins, AM, QC

Director
David Kalisch

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Contents
Acknowledgments	v
Abbreviations	vi
Symbols	vii
Summary	viii
1	Housing and housing assistance in Australia	1
1.1	Introduction	1
1.2	Housing assistance in Australia	1
Housing assistance governance	1
Main housing assistance programs in Australia	2
1.3	The importance of housing	3
1.4	Housing profile	4
1.5	Housing needs into the future	5
Population growth and demographic changes	5
Affordability	5
Housing supply	6
2	Social housing provided by government	6
2.1	The government-provided housing sector	7
2.2	Allocation of government-provided housing	10
Movement within public rental housing and SOMIH	13
Waiting lists	14
2.3	Affordability in government-provided housing	15
2.4	Use of public sector dwellings	17
Occupancy	17
Match of dwelling to household size	17
Indigenous overcrowding	22
2.5	Tenants’ satisfaction with public sector housing	21
3	Social housing provided by the not-for-profit sector	23
3.1	The not-for-profit housing sector	24
3.2	Allocation of not-for-profit housing	25
Waiting lists	26
3.3	Affordability in not-for-profit housing	27
3.4	Use of not-for-profit sector dwellings	30
Occupancy	30
Match of dwelling to household size	30
3.5	Management of not-for-profit housing	32
3.6	Tenants’ satisfaction with not-for-profit housing	34
4	Housing assistance in the private sector	36
4.1	Commonwealth Rent Assistance	36
4.2	Private rent assistance	37
4.3	Home purchase assistance	39
Home purchase assistance provided by states and territories	42
5	Housing assistance for special needs groups	41
5.1	Housing assistance to Indigenous Australians	41
5.2	Housing assistance to young Australians	44
5.3	Housing assistance to older Australians	46
5.4	Housing assistance to people with disability	47
Appendix: Additional tables	50
A.1	Housing and housing assistance in Australia	50
A.2	Housing provided by government	54
A.3	Social housing provided by the not-for-profit sector	66
A.4	Housing assistance in the private sector	81
A.5	Housing assistance for special needs groups	82
A.6	Data quality and scope	84
Glossary	88
References	93
List of tables	97
List of figures	101
Acknowledgments
This report is the product of the collective effort of staff of the Housing Unit in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The information in this report is obtained from data provided by all states and territories, the Commonwealth and mainstream and Indigenous community housing organisations, as well as social housing tenants. The authors would like to acknowledge the vital role played by these data providers; their efforts and cooperation are appreciated.
Members of the Housing and Homelessness Information Management Group are also acknowledged for their contributions.
Abbreviations
AIHW	Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
CH	community housing
CNOS	Canadian National Occupancy Standard
CRA	Commonwealth Rent Assistance
GST	Goods and Services Tax
ICH	Indigenous Community Housing
ICHO	Indigenous Community Housing Organisation
n.a.	not available
NAHA	National Affordable Housing Agreement
no.	number
n.p.	not provided 
NPARIH	National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing
SOMIH	state owned and managed Indigenous housing
Australian jurisdictions
ACT	Australian Capital Territory
Aust	Australia
NSW	New South Wales
NT	Northern Territory
Qld	Queensland
SA	South Australia
Tas	Tasmania
Vic	Victoria
WA	Western Australia
Symbols
. .	not applicable
$	Australian dollars
—	nil or rounded to zero
*	data are known for less than 95% but at least 80% of permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs (or, in NSW, actively registered ICHOs)
** 	data are known for less than 80% but at least 65% of permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs (or, in NSW actively registered ICHOs)
*** 	data are known for less than 65% but at least 50% of permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs (or, in NSW, actively registered ICHOs)
**** 	data are known for less than 50% of permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs (or, in NSW, actively registered ICHOs)
Summary
Housing plays an important role in the health and wellbeing of Australians and, in doing so, promotes positive health, education, employment and security for individuals (FaCSIA 2007).
Population growth and the reduction in the average household size have led to an increased demand for housing (AIHW 2009a). This increased demand has not been met by a similar increase in the supply of housing. As a result, almost 497,000 low-income households are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, and are classified as being ‘in housing stress’. With 45% of low-income private renters and 42% of low-income mortgagees in housing stress, housing assistance is increasingly an essential ‘safety net’ for Australians in need.
The National Affordable Housing Agreement is a commitment by all governments in Australia to deliver housing assistance, with the broad aim of ensuring that all Australians have ‘access to affordable, safe and sustainable housing that contributes to social and economic participation’. This report provides information on the main housing assistance programs in Australia covered by the agreement, including social housing programs, and private rental market and home purchase assistance.
In June 2010:
•	337,177 households were in public rental housing, and state owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH)
•	42,414 households were in mainstream community housing (CH)
•	19,096 dwellings were managed and/or owned by Indigenous community housing organisations
•	34,031 households had been newly assisted by public rental housing, SOMIH and mainstream CH programs during 2009–10
•	154,435 households were supported by private rent assistance programs
•	44,210 households were supported by home purchase assistance programs
•	around 1.1 million income units (a single person or couple, with or without dependent children) were receiving Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
While social housing dwelling numbers have increased only slightly (from 406,500 dwellings to 414,600 dwellings) over the 7 years to 2009–10, there has been a gradual but steady shift of focus from the public to the community-managed sector. At 30 June 2010 mainstream CH managed more than 11% of social housing dwellings, up from the 7% of 7 years earlier.
Social housing continues to be rationed to those in the highest category of need, with 75% of allocations in public rental housing, 56% of SOMIH and 63% of mainstream CH provided to people who were homeless, whose life or safety was at risk in their accommodation, whose condition was aggravated by their housing or who had very high rental costs.
Housing assistance is also targeted towards key special needs groups including Indigenous Australians, those with disability, the young and the elderly. In 2009–10, 65% of new households assisted in public rental housing were in one of these groups, with a similarly high proportion in mainstream CH (57%).
1	Housing and housing assistance in Australia
1.1	Introduction
Housing assistance provides an essential safety net for those Australians who, due to low income and a variety of other reasons, experience difficulty in securing or sustaining affordable and appropriate housing in the private market. Housing assistance grows in importance as pressure increases on the private rental market, where many low-income households will compete for housing with those on higher incomes.
All governments in Australia provide assistance to alleviate the financial burdens placed on these individuals and families who are purchasing or renting their home. This report provides information on housing assistance in each segment of the housing sector: government, not-for-profit and the private sector. It then focuses on the housing assistance provided to special needs groups including Indigenous Australians, young and older Australians, and people with disability.
Data presented in the report are for the first complete year of the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA), 2009–10 (COAG 2009b), and cover the housing assistance programs for which data are held by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
1.2	Housing assistance in Australia
Housing assistance governance
Since 1 January 2009 housing assistance in Australia is delivered under the NAHA, the aim of which is to ensure that ‘all Australians have access to affordable, safe and sustainable housing that contributes to social and economic participation’ (COAG 2009b). The NAHA replaced the former Commonwealth State Housing Agreements, the most recent of which was in effect from 2003 to the end of 2008.
Introduced on 1 January 2009, the NAHA represented a considerable shift in housing policy, combining funding for housing and homelessness services and making governments accountable for six outcomes:
•	people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness achieve sustainable housing and social inclusion
•	people are able to rent housing that meets their needs
•	people can purchase affordable housing
•	people have access to housing through an efficient and responsive housing market
•	Indigenous people have the same housing opportunities (in relation to homelessness services, housing rental, housing purchase and access to housing through an efficient and responsive housing market) as other Australians
•	Indigenous people have improved housing amenity and reduced overcrowding, particularly in remote areas and discrete communities.
State and territory governments and the Australian Government have also signed a number of national partnership agreements that will fund specific projects and deliver significant reforms. One of these is the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness, which, together with the NAHA and the Homelessness White Paper: The Road Home, provides an additional $800 million in funding over the financial years 2009–10 to 2012–13. Other funding includes a commitment of $5.6 billion by the Australian Government over the years 2008–09 to 2011–12 to fund the construction of over 19,300 additional social housing dwellings primarily for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and repairs to over 12,000 social housing dwellings that would have otherwise been lost to stock. In addition, the Australian Government has committed to spending $5.5 billion over the next 10 years under the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing (NPARIH) to improve the standard of Indigenous housing. While the focus of the NPARIH is in remote areas, this commitment also includes $684.4 million in funding for reforms to Indigenous community housing in urban and regional areas.
Main housing assistance programs in Australia
Housing assistance in Australia is provided through an array of programs to assist homeowners and private and public renters (Figure 1.1). The main housing assistance programs in operation in Australia during 2009–10, grouped by tenure type (that is, owners and renters), were:
Home purchasers
•	Home purchase assistance is the provision of financial assistance to households to improve their access to home ownership. It includes direct lending (including government loans, shared equity loans and bridging loans), deposit assistance, interest rate assistance, mortgage relief and other assistance grants.
•	First Home Owner Grant was introduced with the introduction of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) to compensate non-home owners for the increase in the cost of housing arising from the higher construction costs of new homes. It is administered by the states and territories and provides a $7,000 grant to eligible first home buyers.
•	First Home Owner Boost was a temporary measure introduced by the Australian Government from October 2008 until December 2009, whereby eligible first home purchasers were able to receive an additional grant of between $3,500 and $14,000 for their purchase.
•	First Home Saver Accounts help Australians to save for their first home through a combination of Australian Government contributions and low taxes.
•	Home purchase assistance for Indigenous Australians. The Home Ownership Program and the Home Ownership on Indigenous Land Program help low-income Indigenous households to purchase their own homes.
Renters
•	Public rental housing encompasses publicly owned or leased dwellings administered by state and territory governments. It provides affordable and accessible housing for largely low-income households who are in housing need.
Figure 1.1: Main housing assistance programs in Australia, by sector, 2009–10
Flow chart of main housing assistance programs in Australia
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
•	State owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) is also administered by state and territory governments but is targeted specifically at households with at least one Indigenous member. It also provides appropriate, affordable and accessible housing for low- to moderate-income households.
•	Mainstream community housing (CH) is provided for low- to moderate-income or special needs households and is managed by community-based organisations. Community housing models vary across jurisdictions and housing stock is owned by a variety of groups including government.
•	Indigenous community housing (ICH) has been funded in a variety of arrangements by state and territory governments and the Australian Government, and is managed by community housing organisations. It is now funded with mainstream housing services under the NAHA (COAG 2009b), including through the NPARIH (COAG 2009c).
•	Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) is a demand-based subsidy funded exclusively by the Australian Government. The principal objective of CRA is to provide income support recipients and low-income families in the private rental market with additional financial assistance.
•	Private rent assistance is provided by state and territory governments to low-income households experiencing difficulty in securing or maintaining private rental accommodation. The program helps households to meet rent payments, relocation costs and the cost of bonds, and may offer advice or information services. Assistance may be provided by not-for-profit organisations funded by government.
1.3	The importance of housing
Australia’s population is currently estimated to be 22.3 million people, comprising more than 8.4 million households (ABS 2010a). Viewed as a basic human right (SSCHAA 2008), housing is a dominant feature of the economic and social landscape in Australia, providing shelter, security, privacy and health.
Home ownership is a major source of wealth in Australia. Almost one-sixth of Australia’s total assets are dwellings, while 59% of the household sector’s assets are land and dwellings (ABS 2009d; ABS 2009b). At the same time, housing is also a major source of household debt. The Reserve Bank of Australia reported that at June 2010 total housing debt was 42% larger than annual national household disposable income (RBA 2010).
Households experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, particularly those in housing stress (that is, spending more than 30% of their household income on housing costs), are less likely than other Australian households to sustain their housing situation if the affordability of their housing deteriorates. Low-income households (those whose income is in the bottom two-fifths of the population) in housing stress are of particular concern since the burden of high housing costs reduces their ability to meet their other living expenses. More than 8.8 million Australians live in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas of Australia, and 1.3 million Australian households are already in housing stress (Table A1.1), half a million of which have low incomes (ABS 2009c). There are also a number of people who, for a variety of reasons, may be more likely to experience difficulty in securing or sustaining appropriate housing in the private market. For example, people with disability are likely to have lower incomes than the general population, fewer housing options, and higher dependence on social housing and support services (Beer & Faulkner 2009). A severe consequence of not being able to secure or sustain appropriate or affordable housing is homelessness.
1.4	Housing profile
Excluding hotels, motels, boarding houses and hospitals, there are currently an estimated 8.2 million occupied dwellings in Australia (ABS 2010b). The vast majority of dwellings (98%) are located in Major cities and Inner and outer regional areas. In the Northern Territory, however, more than a third (37%) are located in Remote and very remote areas (Table A1.2). Most occupied private dwellings are separate detached houses (78%), with a further 9% semi-detached and another 13% being apartments or flats (Table A1.3).
The majority (68%) of households in Australia either own their home or are in the process of purchasing their home (Figure 1.2), a trend that has been relatively stable for many decades. Over one-quarter of households rent; most rent privately but around 5% of the population reside in social housing, that is, government-provided dwellings (public housing) or dwellings managed by not-for-profit organisations (community housing).
Figure 1.2: Housing stock in Australia, by tenure type, 2006
Pie chart showing housing stock in Australia
Notes
1.	‘Other tenure type’ includes ‘tenure type not stated’.	
2.	‘Other landlord’ includes ‘landlord not stated’.
Source: Table A1.2.
Over time, household size has decreased, which, combined with population growth, has increased the demand on the number of dwellings required to house the population. Figure 1.3 demonstrates that the number of occupied private dwellings has increased in the decade since 1998, from about 7 million to 8.2 million, and the average size of these dwellings, as reflected in the number of bedrooms, has increased by 4% (from 2.96 to 3.07 bedrooms per dwelling) over this period. At the same time, the average number of persons per household in private dwellings has decreased by more than 3%, from 2.65 to 2.56, with a slight increase between 2006 and 2008.
Figure 1.3: Dwelling stock trends in Australia, 1998–2008
Bar chart showing dwelling stock trends in Australia

Source: Table A1.3.
1.5	Housing needs into the future
Population growth and demographic changes
Over the 25-year period to 2031, Australia’s population is estimated to increase by almost 40%, from about 20.7 million in 2006 to almost 28.8 million (Table 1.1). The proportions of couples without children and lone parents are expected to increase alongside an increase in lone-person households. As a consequence, the number of households in Australia is projected to increase from almost 7.8 million to nearly 11.6 million over this same period, representing an increase of almost 49%.
Table 1.1: Projected growth of households, families and population, 2006–31
	Number	Change
(per cent)	
	2006	2031		
Households				
Family	5,628,705	7,978,512	41.7	
Group	291,446	378,707	29.9	
Lone person	1,860,042	3,219,297	73.1	
Total	7,780,193	11,576,516	48.8	
Families				
Couples with children	2,576,014	3,057,899	18.7	
Couples without children	2,134,939	3,532,154	65.4	
Lone parent	920,914	1,412,643	53.4	
Other	103,184	127,880	23.9	
Total	5,735,051	8,130,576	41.8	
Population	20,697,900	28,786,500	39.1	
Sources: ABS 2008c, 2010c.
Affordability
The combination of decreasing average household size and a growing population increases the number of dwellings needed to house the population. With current supply unable to meet this growing demand, the cost of housing has increased.
Figure 1.4 illustrates the fact that, while the average proportion of income spent on housing has remained relatively stable over time, an increasing number of Australian households find themselves in housing stress (ABS 2009c). Indeed, the number of households in moderate housing stress (housing costs more than 30% of gross household income) has increased from just over 900,000 in 1995 to more than 1.25 million in 2008. Over the same period the number of households in severe housing stress (housing costs more than 50% of gross household income) has increased from 300,000 to 420,000 (Figure 1.4). This increase exceeds that explained by population growth. In 1995, 14% of Australian households were in moderate housing stress and 4.6% were in severe housing stress. By 2008 these had increased to 16% and 5.2% respectively. Almost 500,000 (40%) of the households in housing stress in 2008 were in the lowest two-fifths of household incomes. Housing stress levels are high for low-income mortgagees and private renters in particular, with 42% of low-income mortgagees and 45% of low-income private renters experiencing housing stress (ABS 2009c).
Figure 1.4: Number of households in moderate housing stress (housing costs more than 30% of income) and severe housing stress (housing costs more than 50% of income), 1995–2008
Line graph comparing household numbers in moderate and severe housing stress
Source: Table A1.4.
Housing supply
The National Housing Supply Council has estimated the gap between total underlying demand (that is, the need for housing based on the number of households in the population) and total supply as a shortfall of 178,400 dwellings at June 2009. In the 5 years to 2014, the overall gap is projected to grow by a further 129,600 to 308,000 dwellings (NHSC 2010).
Overall, the projected increased demand for housing is strongest in the government-provided (public) rental sector for most states and territories (Figure 1.5), compared with private rentals or home ownership. This is because an increasing shortage of housing overall would differentially affect households by tenure type, with those on the lowest incomes being most adversely affected. National Housing Supply Council projections indicate that in 2021, relative to 2006, the increased demand for housing will vary from an 11% increase in demand for private rentals in Hobart to a more than 50% increase in demand for public rental housing in Perth and the Northern Territory (Figure 1.5).
Figure 1.5: Projected increased demand for dwellings in 2021 relative to 2006, by tenure type (per cent)
Spider web diagram
Source: Table A1.5.
2	Social housing provided by government
Public rental housing and SOMIH, delivered by states and territories, comprise most social housing and a substantial component of overall housing assistance in Australia. Public rental housing operates in all states and territories while SOMIH operates in all states except Victoria, which recently completed its transfer of tenancy management functions for Indigenous-specific housing to Aboriginal Housing Victoria. Neither the Australian Capital Territory nor the Northern Territory have a separately identified or funded public Indigenous housing program.
At 30 June 2010, public rental housing assisted more than 325,700 households, including nearly 26,500 Indigenous households. SOMIH housed almost 11,500 Indigenous households at the same time (Table A2.3). A significant investment in this sector has occurred since 2009 under the NAHA and associated national partnership agreements, with an additional 20,000 dwellings being built and the refurbishment of existing housing stock under the Nation Building and Jobs Stimulus Plan (COAG 2009d).
2.1	The government-provided housing sector
The public rental housing program administers more than 333,000 dwellings in all states and territories. Almost three-quarters are located in major cities with one-quarter located in Inner and outer regional areas and 2% in Remote and very remote areas. SOMIH has a larger presence outside major cities, with two-thirds of its dwellings in Regional and remote areas (see Figure 2.1).
Figure 2.1: Geographical distribution of public rental housing and SOMIH dwellings, 30 June 2010
Vertical bar chart showing for remote and very remote, inner and outer regional and, major cities, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis program
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: Table A2.1.
Social housing in Australia has seen a gradual but steady shift of focus from the public to the community-managed sector. In the last 6 years, the number of public rental housing dwellings has decreased by almost 12,000, from over 345,000 in 2004 to its current level of just over 333,000 in 2010 (Figure 2.2). In contrast, the mainstream CH sector has continued to expand, with the number of dwellings increasing by almost 20,000 over the same period.
Figure 2.2: Number of social housing dwellings, 2003–04 to 2009–10
Line graph showing for Indigenous CH, Mainstream CH, SOMIH, public rental housing and NT remote community housing, on the y-axis number of dwellings and on the x-axis years.
Source: Table A2.2.
Together, public rental housing and SOMIH accommodate more than 80% of households in social housing in Australia. At 30 June 2010:
•	325,726 households were in public rental housing. Over a third of these were in New South Wales (35%), followed by Victoria (19%) and Queensland (16%) (Table A2.3).
•	The Australian Capital Territory had the highest concentration of public rental housing of all states and territories of Australia at 8% of the total household population, and Victoria and Queensland the lowest at 3% (Figure 2.3(a)).
•	Overall, 8% of public rental housing households had at least one member that identified as Indigenous. Almost 10,000 of these Indigenous households were located in New South Wales and a further 5,700 in Western Australia (Figure 2.3(b)).
•	SOMIH assisted a further 11,451 Indigenous households across Australia (Table A2.3).
Figure 2.3: (a) Public rental housing and SOMIH households as a proportion of state household population, and (b) number of Indigenous households assisted, 30 June 2010
Two vertical bar charts (a) showing for SOMIH and public rental housing on the y-axis households as proportion of state household population (per cent), and on the x-axis state/territory. Vertical chart (b) showing for SOMIH and public rental housing, on the y-axis number of Indigenous households and on the x-axis state/territory.
Source: Table A2.3.
The profile of households occupying government-provided social housing has not changed substantially over the last 5 years (Table 2.1). Between 2004–05 and 2009–10, the proportion of newly allocated households with low incomes remained relatively stable, while the proportion classified as in greatest need (homeless or at risk of homelessness) has doubled in both public rental housing and SOMIH. Some of this increase can be attributed to a change in the way greatest need was counted in one jurisdiction (see Section 2.2). Also, disability rates have increased, while other characteristics such as gender balance, age and household size have remained relatively stable.
Table 2.1: Demographic profile in public rental housing and SOMIH, 2004–05 and 2009–10
	Public rental housing		SOMIH	
	2004–05	2009–10		2004–05	2009–10	
All households at 30 June	
Main tenant: male(a) (per cent)	37	37		26	24	
Main tenant: female(a) (per cent)	63	63		74	76	
Mean age of main tenant (years)	54	55		44	46	
Mean household size (persons)	2	2		3	3	
Rebated (per cent)	87	89		82	79	
With disability (per cent)(b)	23	40		17	25	
Newly allocated households for the year	
Low income(c) (per cent)	90	95		88	85	
In greatest need (per cent)	38	75		27	56	
(a)	Excludes records where sex of main tenant is unknown.
(b)	Caution should be taken when comparing across years as the proportion of ‘unknowns’ for disability differ.
(c)	In 2004–05, low-income households were defined as those with an income equivalent at or below 100% of the government income support benefits at the pensioner rate. In 2009–10, they are defined as those in the bottom 40% of the gross equivalised household income.
Sources: AIHW 2008b; AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
2.2	Allocation of government-provided housing
The number of new allocations to public rental housing has been in decline over the past 5 years. Just over 20,000 new allocations were made to public rental housing in 2009–10 (Figure 2.4), compared with almost 31,000 households newly assisted in public rental housing in 2003–04. This trend has likely resulted from the combination of low turnover rates and the reduction in the overall dwelling numbers over that same period (Figure 2.2). The number of new allocations to SOMIH has shown a similar decline.
While the number of allocations has been decreasing, the proportion of allocations to households in ‘greatest need’ has been increasing (Figure 2.5). This trend reflects the increased emphasis on allocation based on priority needs. Households are classified as being in greatest need if they are homeless or find themselves in circumstances that are adversely affecting their health or place their life or safety at risk, are in housing that is inappropriate to their needs, or have very high rental housing costs relative to their income (AIHW 2006a). Over the period 2003–04 to 2009–10, the proportion of new allocations to those in greatest need has more than doubled, from 36% to 75% in public rental housing and from 27% to 56% in SOMIH. Some of this increase can be attributed to the recent inclusion by one jurisdiction (New South Wales) of households in rental stress.
Figure 2.4: Households newly assisted in public rental housing and SOMIH, 2003–04 to 2009–10
Stacked line chart showing, for SOMIH and public rental housing, on the y-axis number of newly assisted households and on the x-axis year.
Source: Table A2.4.
Figure 2.5: Newly assisted households in greatest need as a proportion of all newly assisted,
2003–04 to 2009–10 (per cent)
Stacked line chart showing, for SOMIH and public rental housing, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis year.
Note: In the years before 2009–10, households with ‘very high rental housing costs’ were excluded from NSW results because a high
private rental cost was not deemed a reason for ‘priority’ housing in NSW.
Source: Table A2.5.
As well as being more likely to receive assistance, households in greatest need are generally housed more quickly than others on the waiting list. In 2009–10, of those new public rental housing tenants allocated within 3 months, 83% were in greatest need (Figure 2.6(a)). This proportion was 75% for those waiting between 1 and 2 years for allocation, and 45% for applicants who waited more than 2 years for allocation. For SOMIH, the proportion of allocations to those in greatest need was 74% for a waiting time of 3 months to less than 6 months, and was lower for longer waiting times (Figure 2.6(a)).
Figure 2.6: Proportion of new allocations (a) in greatest need, and (b) having special 
needs, by waiting time for public rental housing and SOMIH, 2009–10 (per cent)
Two vertical bar charts, chart (a) showing for public rental housing and SOMIH, on the y-axis, proportion of allocations in greatest need (per cent), and on the x-axis waiting time. Chart (b) showing for public rental housing and SOMIH, on the y-axis, proportion of allocations with special needs (per cent), and on the x-axis waiting time.
Source: Table A2.9.
Government-provided housing is also targeted at households with special needs. Special needs households in this context are defined as households that have at least one member with a disability, a principal tenant aged either under 25 years or over 74 years, or one or more Indigenous persons. SOMIH households with special needs are those with at least one member with a disability or a principal tenant aged either under 25 years or over 49 years.
About two-thirds of newly assisted households in public rental housing in 2009–10 were deemed as having special needs (Table A2.6). Around half of new tenancies in SOMIH were classified as having special needs. The proportion of allocations to households with special needs is relatively independent of waiting time for public rental housing (Figure 2.6(b)), varying between 63% and 69%. For SOMIH, the proportion reaches a maximum of 58% at a waiting time of 3 months to less than 6 months and then decreases for longer waiting times.
Movement within public rental housing and SOMIH
Households in public rental housing and SOMIH tend to remain in tenure for long periods, contributing to the low number of new allocations in government-provided housing. The majority of tenancies in public rental housing (61%) have been in effect for more than 5 years and almost half of SOMIH households (49%) had similarly long tenures. More than one-third of public rental housing households had been in the same tenancy for more than a decade (Figure 2.7).
Figure 2.7: Length of tenure in public rental housing and SOMIH, 30 June 2010
Horizontal bar chart showing, for SOMIH and public rental housing, on the y-axis waiting time and on the x-axis per cent.
Source: Table A2.7.
Security of tenure has been shown to enhance household health and education outcomes (AHURI 2005), especially for those in high need; it is also seen to enhance social connectedness (Beer & Faulkner 2009). The 2010 National Social Housing Survey of public rental housing tenants showed that more than 91% of current tenants felt that social housing had helped them feel more settled generally, and 94% of tenants expected to be in the public rental housing program 5 years later (AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey).
Consistent with length of tenure and new allocation figures, current levels of transfers within and exits from public rental housing and SOMIH are low. Nationally, less than 3% of public rental housing tenants and 4% of SOMIH tenants transferred to a new dwelling in 2009–10 (Table 2.2). Exit rates are slightly higher, but still less than 7% of public rental housing tenants and less than 10% of SOMIH households ended their tenancies in 2009–10.
Table 2.2: Proportion of households that transferred and exited from public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 2009–10 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Households that transferred	
Public rental housing	3.2	3.1	2.1	3.9	2.3	2.8	1.9	4.3	2.9	
SOMIH	4.3	. .	2.9	5.4	3.3	5.7	. .	. .	4.0	
Households that exited	
Public rental housing	7.1	5.7	6.3	7.4	6.5	8.3	3.9	9.7	6.6	
SOMIH	7.3	100.0(a)	6.4	12.2	7.7	7.6	. .	. .	9.5	
(a)	During 2009–10 Victoria transferred the tenancy management functions of all SOMIH stock to Aboriginal Housing Victoria. These dwellings are no longer classified as SOMIH and the households are no longer classified as SOMIH households.
Source: Table A2.8.
Waiting lists
Across Australia more than 210,000 applicants are currently waiting for allocation to or transfer within the public rental housing and SOMIH programs. Of these, more than 64,000 (30%) are classified as being in greatest need (Table 2.3).
Table 2.3: Number of households on the waiting list for public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld(a)	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Applicants on the waiting list	
Public rental housing	60,444	50,716	30,593	23,723	25,302	3,675	2,479	3,163	200,095	
SOMIH	2,175	. .	4,661	2,802	1,812	185	. .	. .	11,635	
Total	62,619	50,716	30,593	26,525	27,114	3,860	2,479	3,163	211,730	
New applicants on the waiting list who have greatest need	
Public rental housing	22,608	8,777	19,637	2,983	2,484	2,348	1,094	286	60,217	
SOMIH	494	. .	2,834	584	99	0	. .	. .	4,011	
Total	23,102	8,777	19,637	3,567	2,583	2,348	1,094	286	64,228	
(a)	Queensland has one waiting list for all social housing. Using this list to report against individual programs leads to an overestimate of the number of households waiting to be allocated as many applicants are eligible for allocation to more than one program.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Housing ministers in all states and territories have agreed to integrate their waiting lists by July 2011; this reform was completed in Queensland in 2009 and in April 2010 in New South Wales, with the Australian Capital Territory recently completing implementation (after 30 June 2010). It should be noted that in states without a consolidated waiting list households may be on more than one list. Table 2.3 therefore overestimates the total number of households waiting to be allocated in all states and territories except Queensland.
2.3	Affordability in government-provided housing
Low-income households, those in the bottom 40% of equivalised gross household incomes, made up 98% of all public rental housing and 95% of all SOMIH households (Table 2.4).
Table 2.4: Proportion of public rental housing and SOMIH households classified as low income, by state and territory, 30 June 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing	99.3	98.0	96.4	97.6	94.9	94.2	99.4	99.3	97.7	
SOMIH	98.7	. .	92.7	96.9	91.5	94.5	. .	. .	95.0	
Source: Table A2.10.
Consistent with this, the 2010 National Social Housing Survey found that less than half (48%) of adults living in public rental housing were in the labour force (Figure 2.8). This participation rate is low compared with that of the total population of Australia (66%; ABS 2010d) and may reflect the priority allocation policies applied by housing departments; ‘people not in the labour force’ includes those unable to work due to age, health, disability or a permanent medical condition. Further, the unemployment rate of people living in public rental housing (31%; Figure 2.8) is much higher than that of the overall population (5%; ABS 2010d). Public rental housing provides an important safety net for these Australians.

Figure 2.8: Workforce participation and employment of adults living in public rental housing, Aug–Sept 2010
Pie chart showing, 52% not in the labour force, and 48% in the labour force, employed full time 33%, employed part time 36% and unemployed 31%.
Source: Table A2.11.
Housing affordability is a key issue for low-income households. In the government housing sector, rents are set so that households pay less than 30% of their incomes in rent (Table A2.12). Households are ‘rebated’ the difference between the rent charged and the market rent. Nationally, 89% of public rental housing and 79% of SOMIH households were rebated, ranging from 65% in SOMIH in New South Wales to 97% in public rental housing in Queensland (Figure 2.9).
Figure 2.9: Proportion of households that are rebated in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, for public rental housing and SOMIH, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis State/territory.
Source: Table A2.13.
Average rental rebates in public rental housing range from $75 per week in Western Australia up to $225 in the Australian Capital Territory (Table 2.5). This is consistent with the average market rents for public rental dwellings across Australia, which are lowest in Western Australia and highest in the Australian Capital Territory.
Table 2.5: Average weekly rebate per household and average weekly market rent values in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, week of 30 June 2010 ($)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing		
Average weekly rebate per household	145	98	152	75	103	87	225	158	127	
Average weekly market rent per household(a)	242	193	252	164	196	177	338	247	222	
SOMIH		
Average weekly rebate received per household	106	. .	159	93	124	99	. .	. .	123	
Average weekly market rent per household(a)	230	. .	269	190	229	202	. .	. .	232	
(a)	Average weekly market rent has been calculated by dividing the total market rent value of dwellings for which a rent was charged for the week of 30 June 2010 by the total number of households as at 30 June 2010.
Source: Table A2.14.
2.4	Utilisation of public sector dwellings
There are several measures by which the efficiency of dwelling stock utilisation can be assessed. These include occupancy and vacancy rates as well as the measure of matching dwelling size to the size of the household.
Occupancy
Occupancy rates are consistently high in both public rental housing and SOMIH at 98% and 96% respectively (tables 2.6 and A2.15). Occupancy rates across the two programs vary from 92% for SOMIH in South Australia up to 99% for public rental housing in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Table 2.6: Occupancy rates in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing	98.9	96.2	98.7	97.0	95.7	98.3	98.9	95.1	97.7	
SOMIH	98.1	. .	94.8	95.5	92.4	97.7	. .	. .	95.8	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Vacant properties include those that are unavailable for occupation due to refurbishment work. At 30 June 2010, 1,544 public rental housing and 63 SOMIH dwellings were undergoing major redevelopment and were therefore unavailable for occupation (Table 2.7). This corresponds to 0.5% of the public rental housing dwelling stock and SOMIH dwelling stock respectively.
Table 2.7: Number of public rental housing and SOMIH dwellings undergoing major redevelopment, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing	0	371	51	328	730	33	0	31	1,544	
SOMIH	0	. .	22	27	14	0	. .	. .	63	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Match of dwelling to household size
Matching the size of the dwelling to the size of the household ensures that existing dwelling stock is used to its capacity and that households are housed according to their requirements.
Overcrowding occurs when the dwelling size is too small for the size and composition of the household living in it. Underutilisation occurs when the dwelling size is larger than required to adequately house the household. The currently accepted standard by which the dwelling size requirements of a household are measured is the Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS) (see Box 2.1).
Overcrowding of dwellings increases stress on kitchens, bathrooms, laundry facilities and sewage systems, increasing the risk of spreading infectious diseases between residents and placing unnecessary strain on interpersonal relationships. Overcrowding rates in public rental housing and SOMIH were 4% and 10% respectively at 30 June 2010. Underutilisation was more prevalent, with 53% of public rental housing and 61% of SOMIH dwellings underutilised at 30 June 2010 (Table A2.16). Underutilisation rates in the overall rental population are also high; at last count (2008), 60% of Australian rental households had at least one bedroom additional to the CNOS requirement for their household (ABS 2010b).
Box 2.1: Canadian National Occupancy Standard
The Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS) calculates the bedroom requirements of a household based on the number, sex, age and relationships of household members. It specifies that:
•	no more than two people share a bedroom
•	parents or couples may share a bedroom
•	children under 5 years, either of the same sex or opposite sex, may share a bedroom
•	children under 18 years of the same sex may share a bedroom
•	a child aged 5 to 17 years should not share a bedroom with a child under 5 of the opposite sex
•	single adults 18 years and over and any unpaired children require a separate bedroom.
Closer investigation of data on overcrowded households in public rental housing and SOMIH shows that overcrowded households were more likely than the average household to be a group or mixed composition household and be in Remote or Very remote areas (Table 2.8). Overcrowded households also had significantly higher mean household sizes (five persons per household compared with the public rental housing average of two persons, and six persons per household compared with the SOMIH average of three persons). Further, 71% of overcrowded public rental housing households and 91% of overcrowded SOMIH households require large homes (four or more bedrooms) to meet the CNOS. Large households are particularly challenging for jurisdictions to accommodate, particularly as the overall demand for large homes is relatively low at 6% for public rental housing and 17% for SOMIH (Table 2.8), meaning that the balance between stock flexibility and cost has resulted in the majority of existing dwelling stock being three bedrooms or smaller (AIHW 2010a).
Table 2.8: Selected characteristics of public rental housing and SOMIH households in overcrowded and underutilised dwellings compared with all households, 30 June 2010
	Public rental housing		SOMIH	
	Overcrowded households	All households		Overcrowded households	All households	
Number of households with overcrowding	11,785			1,012		
Proportion of most prevalent household type (group and mixed compostion) (per cent)	46.4	15.3		45.2	20.1	
Proportion in Remote and very remote areas (per cent)	4.0	2.1		28.1	18.7	
Mean household size (persons)	5	2		6	3	
Proportion requiring large homes (four bedrooms or larger) (per cent)	71.3	5.6		90.6	16.8	
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
SOMIH households in underutilised dwellings were more likely than the average SOMIH household to be classified as special needs (61% compared with the SOMIH average of 53%). Also, public rental housing and SOMIH households in underutilised dwellings tended to be longer term tenants than the average household: 10.4 years compared with an average of 8.8 years in public rental housing, and 7.6 years compared with 6.8 years on average in SOMIH (Table 2.9). These observations provide some support to the idea that one contributor to underutilisation may be contraction of the household size over long tenures or allocation of dwellings based on special dwelling modifications rather than size.
Closer investigation of public rental housing and SOMIH households in underutilised dwellings showed that these were most likely to be single adult households (56% and 38% of all households with undertutilisation, respectively). Indeed, 94% of single adult households and 98% of couple-only households in SOMIH at 30 June 2010 were living in underutilised dwellings, while 55% of single adult households and 90% of couple-only households in public rental housing were living in underutilised dwellings. Under the CNOS both of these household types can be adequately accommodated in a single-bedroom dwelling. The challenge of accommodating small households such as single adults and couples in dwelling stock that is primarily made up of three-bedroom dwellings is clearly a major contributor to the observed underutilisation rates.
Table 2.9: Selected characteristics of public rental housing and SOMIH households in underutilised dwellings compared with all households, 30 June 2010
	Public rental housing		SOMIH	
	Households with underutilisation	All households		Households with underutilisation	All
households	
Number of households with underutilisation	160,260			6,050		
Mean length of tenure (years)	10.4	8.8		7.6	6.8	
Proportion with special needs (per cent)	58.3	58.0		61.1	52.8	
Most prevalent household type	Single adult (56.2%)	Single adult (54.1%)		Single adult (37.7%)	Sole parent with children (39.8%)	
Proportion of single adult households that are underutilised (per cent)		55.3			93.6	
Proportion of couple-only households that are underutilised (per cent)		89.6			98.1	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Indigenous overcrowding
Overcrowding for Indigenous households is of particular interest to governments and the community, with great emphasis being placed on ensuring that Indigenous Australians have access to suitable housing. Figure 2.10 depicts the overcrowding rates for Indigenous households in public rental housing and SOMIH dwellings by remoteness. For comparison, the overall overcrowding rate for all public housing households is also indicated (black dot).
Overcrowding for Indigenous households is most prevalent in Very remote areas; 11% of Indigenous public rental housing households in Very remote areas are moderately overcrowded (requiring one additional bedroom) and a further 4% are severely overcrowded (requiring two or more additional bedrooms). Similarly, 15% of Very remote SOMIH households are overcrowded and a further 7% severely overcrowded. In all regions, Indigenous overcrowding is significantly higher than the program average (that is, including both Indigenous and non-Indigenous households). The difference is most pronounced in Non-remote areas, where the total Indigenous overcrowding rate is 10.3% compared with the program average of 4.9% (Figure 2.10).
Figure 2.10: Overcrowding in Indigenous public rental housing and SOMIH households, by remoteness and number of additional bedrooms required, 2009–10 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, for public rental housing and SOMIH, severe overcrowding (2 or more bedrooms needed), moderate overcrowding (1 more bedroom needed) and total program-wide overcrowding (includes non-Indigenous), on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis remoteness.
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Sources: Tables A2.17 and A2.18.
2.5	Tenants’ satisfaction with public sector housing
Measures of tenants’ satisfaction provide a useful insight into tenants’ views of their housing. The 2010 National Social Housing Survey asked a sample of public rental housing tenants across Australia to indicate their overall level of satisfaction with the services provided by (or through) their housing department, and their satisfaction with the location and amenity aspects of their dwellings. Figure 2.11 shows that overall satisfaction levels are reasonably high in all states, varying from 64% in New South Wales to 84% in Queensland.
Figure 2.11: Public rental housing tenants reporting overall satisfaction with the services provided by (or through) their housing department, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, satisfied and very satisfied, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis State/territory.
Source: Table A2.19.
In general, the tenants’ levels of satisfaction with the location and amenity aspects of their dwellings were high (see figures 2.12 and 2.13). Of the tenants who rated the size of their dwelling as important, 84% reported that this aspect met their needs (Figure 2.12).
Of the tenants who rated location relative to community and support services as important, 87% reported that the location of their allocated dwelling met these needs (Figure 2.13).
Figure 2.12: Public rental housing tenants rating amenity aspects as important and meeting their needs, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
Horizontal bar chart showing, on the y-axis amenity aspect and on the x-axis per cent.
Source: Table A2.20.
Figure 2.13: Public rental housing tenants rating location aspects as important and meeting their needs, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
Horizontal bar chart showing, on the y-axis location aspect, and on the x-axis per cent.
Source: Table A2.21.
3	Social housing provided by the 
not-for-profit sector
In addition to housing provided by state and territory governments, social housing is also provided by the not-for-profit sector. In mainstream community housing (CH), dwellings may be owned or leased by third-party community-based organisations that carry out the tenancy and dwelling management functions. Indigenous community housing (ICH) is housing owned and/or managed by Indigenous community housing organisations (ICHOs) for the provision of housing to Indigenous Australians (see Section A.6 in the Appendix for details). At 30 June 2010, 42,414 households were helped through mainstream CH (Table 3.1) and 13,785 households helped through currently funded ICH (Table A3.2). An estimated 19,096 households were helped across the whole ICH sector (currently funded and not currently funded) at 30 June 2010 (Table 3.1).
Table 3.1: Households assisted in the not-for-profit housing sector, 30 June 2010
		Mainstream CH	ICH	
Indigenous households	No.	3,153(a)	19,096(b)	
	%	7.4(a)	100.0	
Other households	No.	39,261	. .	
	%	92.6	. .	
All households	No.	42,414	19,096(b)	
(a)	The number of Indigenous households may be under-reported as data are reliant on Indigenous self-identification.
(b)	The number of households for ICH is estimated using ‘number of dwellings’ as data on households are collected only for the funded portion of the sector.
Sources: Tables A3.1 and A3.2.
The mainstream not-for-profit housing sector has grown rapidly over the past 5 years. This growth will continue, with governments committing to a large scale not-for-profit sector comprising up to 35% of all social housing by 2014 (FaHCSIA 2010). The sector is also expanding under the National Rental Affordability Scheme.
This reform agenda will have implications for the ICH sector, with providers encouraged to participate in regulatory reform. Reforms of this sector are also underway under the NPARIH (COAG 2009c), and involve ICH being brought within state and territory regulatory frameworks for community housing providers, and reforms of property and tenancy management.
These and other reforms affect the quality, scope and comparability of ICH data in this report. Section A.6 provides full details of the significant data limitations for ICH.
3.1	The not-for-profit housing sector
Organisations in the not-for-profit sector include housing associations, housing cooperatives and other community service organisations. At 30 June 2010 there were over 950 mainstream CH organisations and almost 400 ICHOs operating in the not-for-profit housing sector. These organisations managed nearly 46,000 mainstream CH dwellings and more than 19,000 ICH dwellings (tables A3.1 and A3.2).
Of the estimated 19,096 permanent ICH dwellings, 14,045 are managed by funded or actively registered ICHOs, constituting 75% of the sector. The number of dwellings managed by unfunded or not actively registered ICHOs is estimated from aggregate figures and often based on historical records. Confirming the current number of permanent dwellings for unfunded or not actively registered ICHOs is difficult.
Figure 3.1 highlights the difference between the geographic distribution of dwellings in mainstream CH and ICH. In mainstream CH, 66% of tenancy (rental) units are located in Major cities and only 3% of tenancy (rental) units are located in Remote and very remote areas. In contrast, ICH is primarily located outside metropolitan areas, with 11% of dwellings located in Remote areas and 57% in Very remote areas.
Figure 3.1: Geographical distribution of mainstream CH and ICH dwellings
Vertical bar chart showing, for mainstream CH and ICH, on the y-axis number of dwellings and on the x-axis remoteness.
Notes
1.	Data for the NT are not available for mainstream CH.
2.	Mainstream CH does not classify dwellings based on remoteness. The above data count tenancy (rental) units (see Glossary).
3.	Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: Table A3.3.
Despite the distinctly different geographical distributions of mainstream CH and ICH dwellings, the organisational profile is comparable. In both cases a considerable portion of the sector is managed by a small number of large organisations, with the remainder managed by numerous very small organisations (Table 3.2). In mainstream CH, over two‑thirds of dwellings are managed by only 5% of organisations. Similarly in ICH, a trend toward fewer ICHOs managing more dwellings can be observed, with a 33% decrease in the number of small ICHOs (managing less than 20 dwellings) from 2001 to 2006 offset by a 39% increase in the number of ICHOs managing more than 100 dwellings over the same period (Table 3.2). This was the result of a deliberate government policy to reform the sector.

Table 3.2: Mainstream CH and ICH organisations, by size
	Less than 20 dwellings	20–49 dwellings	50–99 dwellings	100 or more dwellings	Total	
Mainstream CH		
No. of organisations, 30 June 2010	692	157	34	76	959	
Total dwellings, 30 June 2010(a)	4,828	4,629	2,394	34,120	45,971	
ICH		
No. of ICHOs, 2001	293	207	80	36	616	
No. of ICHOs, 2006	197	169	80	50	496	
No. of ICHOs, 30 June 2010(b)	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	391	
Total dwellings, 30 June 2010	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	19,096	
(a)	Total dwellings excludes four dwellings that are under state management.
(b)	The number of ICHOs includes Indigenous councils in Queensland that transferred tenancy management to the state government, and two state managed service models in Western Australia under which dwellings had been transferred to state management (see Table A3.2).
Sources: ABS 2007c; AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
3.2	Allocation of not-for-profit housing
Mainstream CH allocation policies are comparable to those in public rental housing and SOMIH, where households are given priority allocation based on assessment of need. Greatest need households are defined as low-income households that at the time of allocation were either homeless, in housing inappropriate to their needs, in housing that is adversely affecting their health or placing their life and safety at risk, or that have very high rental costs (AIHW 2006a).
ICH dwellings, by contrast, are allocated to Indigenous tenants as they become available. Most ICHOs use their own waiting list and a set of selection criteria to help them assess the degree of need of applicants for housing (AIHW 2009d). It should be noted that, as ICH does not collect tenant-level data other than for calculating overcrowding, it is not possible to analyse the demographic profile of tenants allocated to housing.
Priority allocation to households in greatest need in mainstream CH has been consistently high. In 2009–10, 63% of new allocations across Australia were to those in greatest need (Figure 3.2).
Households that are in greatest need may also be legitimately classed as having special needs (and vice versa). Special needs households are low-income households that have either a household member with disability, a principal tenant aged 24 years or under or 75 years or over, or one or more Indigenous members.
In Australia, for the year ending 30 June 2010:
•	60% of newly assisted households were special needs households
•	the Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of allocations to those in greatest need (88%)
•	New South Wales had the highest reported proportion of special needs allocations (76%) (Figure 3.2)
•	more than 8,000 applicants in greatest need were allocated to mainstream CH in 2009–10 (Table 3.3).
Figure 3.2: Proportion of newly allocated tenancies classified into one or more need categories for mainstream CH, by state and territory, 2009–10 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, special needs and greatest need, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis State/territory.
Note: Data for the NT are not available.
Source: Table A3.4.
Waiting lists
At 30 June 2010, there were about 37,000 applicants on waiting lists for mainstream CH across Australia outside New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Of these, almost 22,000 were classified as being in greatest need (Table 3.3).
It should be noted that in all jurisdictions except Queensland in 2009–10, households may be on more than one waiting list. Housing ministers in all jurisdictions have agreed to integrate their waiting lists by July 2011; this reform was completed in Queensland in 2009 and in New South Wales in April 2010, with the Australian Capital Territory recently completing implementation (after 30 June 2010). As such, no waiting list data were available for New South Wales in 2009–10. As part of this work, South Australia has introduced a consolidated waiting list for the mainstream CH sector.

Table 3.3: Number of households on waiting lists, in greatest need and newly assisted for mainstream CH
	NSW(a)	Vic	Qld(b)	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust(c)	
No. of applicants on the waiting list, 30 June 2010 	n.a.	12,562	19,958	1,899	1,573	535	162	n.a.	36,689	
No. of new applicants on the waiting list in greatest need, 30 June 2010	n.a.	5,611	14,440	495	755	398	161	n.a.	21,860	
No. of new allocations to those in greatest need, 2009–10	3,310	2,075	1,092	1,177	166	78	205	n.a.	8,103	
(a)	Systems to capture waiting list information through a common application process for public and community housing are currently being developed, resulting in data not being available for all community housing providers at 30 June 2010.
(b)	Coherence over time of the measurement of the number of new applicants on the waiting list that are in ‘greatest need’ has been affected by a change in methodology.
	Queensland has one waiting list for all social housing. Using this list to report against individual programs leads to an overestimate of the number of households waiting to be allocated as many applicants are eligible for allocation to more than one program.
(c)	Australian totals may not represent national totals because complete data were not available for all jurisdictions.
Note: Applicants may appear on waiting lists of more than one community housing organisation, with the exception of Queensland and South Australia where consolidated waiting lists are in operation.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
3.3	Affordability in not-for-profit housing
Low-income households, those in the bottom two-fifths of equivalised gross household income, excluding Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA), accounted for 93% of all mainstream CH households across Australia (Table 3.4). Different limits to determine low income are applied depending on the location of a household, for example, whether a household resides in a capital city or elsewhere in the state or territory. Data on income and rent for households in ICH were not available for analysis of affordability outcomes.
Table 3.4: Number and proportion of mainstream CH tenants classified as low income, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW(a)	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
No. of low-income households	16,104	7,117	n.a.	2,867	3,672	200	373	n.a.	30,333	
Low-income households as a proportion of all households (per cent)	92.1	93.4	n.a.	97.8	91.3	88.9	99.7	n.a.	92.9	
(a)	Affordability measures for NSW are captured via the jurisdiction’s own survey. To provide an estimate of low-income households, receipt of Centrelink benefits as the main source of household income has been used a proxy.
Notes
1.	Households for which gross household income and household member ages (used to determine equivalised household income) could not be determined have been excluded.
2.	Measurement of low income cannot be compared with previous years due to a change in methodology.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Consistent with the vast majority of households in mainstream CH being on low incomes, the 2010 National Social Housing Survey found that around half (48%) of adults living in mainstream CH were not in the labour force. This is compared to a workforce participation rate of 66% in the overall Australian civilian population (ABS 2010d). Of those in the labour force, 31% were unemployed and looking for work (Figure 3.3), compared with just 5% in the Australian population overall (ABS 2010d). The high proportion of adults not in the labour force, which includes those who were unable to work due to age, health, disability or a permanent medical condition, reflects the priority allocation policies applied by housing departments.
Figure 3.3: Workforce participation and employment of people living in 
mainstream CH, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
Pie chart showing, not in the labour force, 48%, and in the labour force, 52%, employed full time, 29%, employed part time, 41% and unemployed 31%.
Source: Table A3.5.
With most households on low incomes, the affordable tenure offered by mainstream CH represents a considerable benefit for tenants. Arrangements vary between states and territories but tenants are usually assisted through receipt of CRA and/or payment of below-market rents. The majority of households in mainstream CH (73% at 30 June 2010) pay less than 25% of their income in rent, with over a quarter paying less than 20% (Figure 3.4). At 30 June 2010, however, 18% of low-income mainstream CH households were in rental stress, defined as paying more than 30% of their gross income in rent. It is important to note that this figure should be interpreted with caution as, while the CRA amount should be excluded from the data on rent charged and household income, it is evident that some organisations may have included CRA as a part of rent and income in their survey returns. Other out-of-scope charges such as those for utilities may also have been included in the amounts for rent charged. This may result in a higher proportion of households that appears to be paying more than 30% of their income in rent.
Figure 3.4: Proportion of low-income mainstream CH tenants spending given proportions of 
their income on rent, 30 June 2010 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, households not in rental stress and households in rental stress, on the y-axis per cent, and on the x-axis proportion of income spent on rent.
Source: Table A3.6.
On average, 75% of income is available to households after rent is paid (Table 3.5). Variance exists among the states and territories on the proportion of household income left after rent is paid, from 68% in Western Australia to 78% in Victoria.

Table 3.5: Rental stress for low-income households in mainstream CH households, by state and territory, week of 30 June 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust(a)	
Proportion of households spending >30% of their gross income on rent(b)	12.9	20.3	n.a.	59.7	7.1	28.0(c)	23.6	n.a.	18.4	
Proportion of household income left after rent(d)	74.8	77.8	77.1	68.2	75.0	74.2(e)	73.2	n.a.	75.0	
(a)	Australian totals may not represent national totals because complete data were not available for all states and territories.
(b)	For Vic, WA, SA, Tas and ACT, households have been excluded from this indicator where rent charged or household gross income are unknown; or where rent charged or household gross income is equal to or less than zero.
(c)	Relevant details are known for only 34% of households.
(d)	For Vic, WA, SA, Tas and ACT, households have been excluded from this indicator where rent charged or household assessable income are unknown; or where rent charged or household assessable income is equal to or less than zero.
(e)	Relevant details are known for only 38% of households.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
The proportion of Indigenous Australians in mainstream CH paying more than 30% of their income in rent (18%) is similar to that of all tenants in mainstream CH (18%); however, data were not available for New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory (Table 3.6).

Table 3.6: Low-income Indigenous households paying greater than 30% of income in rent in mainstream CH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
No. of households paying >30% of gross income in rent	n.a.	56	n.a.	129	n.p.	0	n.p.	n.a.	196	
Proportion of households paying >30% of gross income in rent	n.a.	7.0	n.a.	63.2	n.p.	0.0	n.p.	n.a.	17.5	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
3.4	Utilisation of not-for-profit sector dwellings
The occupancy rate and the match between dwelling size and household size are measures by which the efficiency of dwelling stock utilisation can be measured.
Occupancy
Dwelling occupancy rates were consistently high in both mainstream CH and ICH at 30 June 2010, 96% and 91% respectively (tables A3.7 and A3.8). Occupancy rates for mainstream CH varied from 92% in Western Australia up to 100% in the Northern Territory (Figure 3.5). Occupancy rates in ICH showed a comparable degree of variation, albeit around a slightly lower average value.
Match of dwelling to household size
Matching the size of the dwelling to the size of the household ensures that existing dwelling stock is used to its capacity and that households are housed according to their requirements. The degree of overcrowding or underutilisation in a dwelling is estimated based on bedroom requirements, as determined by the CNOS (see Box 2.1). Overcrowding occurs when the dwelling size is too small for the size and composition of the household as measured by the CNOS. Underutilisation occurs when the dwelling size is larger than required by the CNOS. At 30 June 2010, 2.6% of mainstream CH households were overcrowded, with underutilisation more prevalent (Table 3.7).
It is important to note that while overcrowding and underutilisation are based on the CNOS, this does not account for factors such as older Australians considering extra space as necessary for their lifestyle or specific circumstances where larger houses are allocated to a smaller family in order to meet other needs (AHURI 2010).
Overcrowding in Indigenous households is of particular interest to governments, and much work is being undertaken to ensure that Indigenous Australians have access to suitable housing. Table 3.7 highlights the proportion of ICH dwellings with severe overcrowding (requiring two or more additional bedrooms to meet the CNOS). Over 25% of ICH dwellings in Queensland and South Australia were reported as overcrowded at 30 June 2010 (Table 3.7). It should be noted that ICH overcrowding figures should be treated with caution due to a number of data quality issues (see notes below Table 3.7 and Section 1.5).

Figure 3.5: Occupancy rates in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, 
30 June 2010 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, for mainstream CH and ICH, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis State/territory.
Notes
1.	ICH data for ACT and NT were not available.
2.	In WA some ICH dwellings were changing service providers at 30 June 2010 and were reported as unoccupied 
through this transition. The records are not identifiable for removal or correction.
3.	In SA, ICH data were reported at the time of tenancy audit (most during 2008 and 2009).
Sources: Tables A3.7 and A3.8.
Overcrowding rates reported for mainstream CH are significantly lower than those seen in ICH, with just 2.6% of mainstream CH households experiencing overcrowding nationally. However, overcrowding is more prevalent for Indigenous households than non-Indigenous households in mainstream CH, at 4.3% nationally. Although the effect is most prominent in the not-for-profit housing sector, Indigenous Australians experience overcrowding at higher rates than non-Indigenous Australians across all tenure types (14% overall, compared with 3% for non-Indigenous households) (ABS 2007a). Indigenous overcrowding is particularly prevalent in Remote and Very remote areas (22% and 41% respectively, compared with 9% in Major cities).
Table 3.7: Match of dwelling to household size in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Mainstream CH		
Proportion of households with overcrowding (requiring one or more additional bedrooms)	
All households	2.5	3.3	n.a.	1.9	2.7	0.5	1.4	n.a.	2.6	
Indigenous households	n.a.	3.8	n.a.	6.0	5.7	0.0	4.8	n.a.	4.4	
Proportion of households with underutilisation	
All households	10.8	31.6	n.a.	42.8	73.2	34.4	9.5	n.a.	27.1	
Indigenous households	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
ICH		
Proportion of households with severe overcrowding (requiring two or more additional bedrooms)	n.a.(a)	** 0.8(b)	* 25.1(c)	** 13.5(d)	** 32.8(e)	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
(a)	Data are not available as a result of data quality issues.
(b)	In 2009–10 Victoria reported on an additional 18 agencies for which it has assumed administrative responsibility; these agencies were previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(c)	Aggregate data were supplied from two sources: Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30 June 2010) for eight tenancy-managed communities and the remaining 26 communities as reported by Property Condition and Tenant Survey 2006–07.
Department of Communities’ Public Housing Entitlements used (see Glossary) for calculations.
Data cover the 4,119 dwellings in the Indigenous councils only. No household information is kept for dwellings owned by Indigenous organisations.
(d)	A number of tenancies had limited personal details known. This was particularly prevalent for date of birth.
(e)	Data reported at time of tenancy audit (most during 2008 and 2009).
Note: Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation).
Source: Table A3.9.
3.5	Management of not-for-profit housing
Financial data provide a measure of the performance and sustainability of housing organisations as well as the cost per dwelling of providing assistance. Financial data are collected for both mainstream CH and ICH. For ICH, it is important to note that data are collected only for dwellings managed by currently funded ICHOs (14,045 dwellings out of 18,695 (see Table A3.2)) and data are often incomplete or missing (see Table A3.10 for coverage details). Financial data for ICH should therefore be interpreted with caution.
The rent collection rate (which is the rent collected from tenants as a proportion of rent charged to tenants) is one such measure and provides some indication of the sustainability of services as rental income is required by housing organisations to meet the costs of providing housing. In 2009–10 rent collection rates in mainstream CH and ICH were over 90% for most states and territories (Figure 3.5).
Figure 3.6: Rent collection rate in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, 2009–10 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, for mainstream CH and ICH, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis State/territory.
Note: ICH data for SA and ACT and mainstream CH data for NT were not available.
Source: Table A3.11.
Net recurrent cost per unit assesses the cost of providing social housing by measuring the average cost of providing assistance per dwelling or rental unit. Net recurrent costs include administrative and maintenance expenditures, but exclude capital costs. In 2008–09, the average cost of providing assistance in mainstream CH was $8,289 per unit (Table 3.8). Financial data for 2009–10 for mainstream CH are not yet available.
The net recurrent cost per dwelling for ICH in 2009–10 was reported to be $7,491 (Table 3.8). It is important to note, however, that in many cases it is difficult for ICHOs to separate housing-related expenditure, particularly staff costs, from that relating to other functions of the organisation. This value should therefore be interpreted with caution.
Table 3.8: Net recurrent costs per rental unit or dwelling in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory ($)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Mainstream CH 2008–09(a)	9,299	9,008(b)	4,962	7,870(c)	7,294(d)	16,835(e)	7,248(f)	n.a.	8,289	
ICH 2009–10	14,226(g)	* 8,991(h)	* 4,479	6,800(i)	* 3,967(j)	10,812	n.a.	n.a.	* 7,491	
(a)–(j)		See Table A3.12.
Notes
1.	Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation).
2.	Financial data for 2009–10 for mainstream CH are not yet available.
Source: Table A3.12.
While ICH maintenance expenditure data are not complete for 2009–10, the data do indicate an increase in maintenance expenditure relative to 2008–09 consistent with increased funding provided to states and territories for this purpose under the NAHA and NPARIH (Table 3.9). Additional financial data collected for ICH are provided in the appendix (Table A3.14).
Table 3.9: Maintenance expenditure for ICH, by jurisdiction, 2008–09 and 2009–10 ($’000)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	AG	Aust	
2008–09(a)	11,084(b)	2,062	14,974	12,796	1,805(c)	. .	n.a.(d)	5,948(e)	2,415(f)	51,084	
2009–10	* 19,310(g)	* 7,823(h)	15,705	8,161(i)	3,235(j)	86	n.a.	5,215(k)	. .	* 59,534	
AG	Australian Government
(a)–(k)	See Table A3.13.
Note: Symbols against ICH 2009–10 data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation). Coverage for 2008–09 data is not available.
Sources: Table A3.13.
3.6	Tenants’ satisfaction with not-for-profit housing
Tenants’ satisfaction is an important measure of the effectiveness of housing assistance. The 2010 National Social Housing Survey asked a sample of tenants in mainstream CH across Australia to indicate their level of satisfaction overall and their satisfaction with the location and amenity aspects of their dwellings. Overall satisfaction levels are high in all states and territories, ranging from 77% in New South Wales to 90% in Tasmania (Figure 3.7).
Figure 3.7: Proportion of mainstream CH tenants reporting overall satisfaction with the services provided by (or through) their housing provider, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, very satisfied and satisfied, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis State/territory.
Source: Table A3.15.
Mainstream CH tenants were very highly satisfied with the amenity aspects of their dwelling: 84% of those surveyed who rated amenity aspects as important reported that their dwelling met their needs in this regard (Table A3.16). Just over 90% of tenants who indicated that ease of access and entry was important reported that their needs were met (Figure 3.8). Surveyed mainstream CH tenants were highly satisfied with the location aspects of their allocated dwelling. On average, 88% of tenants who indicated that locality characteristics were important to them reported that their dwelling met their needs in this regard (Table A3.17). Of tenants who rated access to shops and banking as important, 92% reported that this need was met (Figure 3.9).
Figure 3.8: Tenants’ satisfaction with the amenity aspects of their dwelling, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
Horizontal bar chart showing, on the y-axis amenity aspect and on the x-axis per cent.
Source: Table A3.16.
Figure 3.9: Tenants’ satisfaction with the location aspects of their dwelling, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
Horizontal bar chart showing, on the y-axis location aspect and on the x-axis per cent.
Source: Table A3.17.
4	Housing assistance in the private sector
4.1	Commonwealth Rent Assistance
CRA is a non-taxable income supplement paid to eligible low-income individuals or families in the private rental market. To be eligible for CRA, individuals or families must be Centrelink clients, that is, be in receipt of a Government payment, receiving more than the base rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A or the recipient of a service pension, and paying rent above specified minimum thresholds dependent on the income unit type. In addition to households renting in the private market, CRA is available to community housing tenants, and in New South Wales is also available to tenants residing in SOMIH. Further, recipients of CRA may also have received some form of private rent assistance (Section 4.2). As a result, there is some overlap with other programs.
CRA recipients receive assistance on behalf of their income unit. An income unit is defined as a single person or a couple, with or without dependent children. It should be noted that income units are not equivalent to households (the measurement unit used in social housing) as multiple income units may occupy dwellings. At June 2010 around 1.1 million income units were receiving CRA. Of these about 3.9% were Indigenous (42,797 income units), and only 1.2% resided in dwellings located in Remote and very remote areas (Table 4.1). The most common income unit type receiving CRA in June 2010 was a single person without children, followed by a single person with children (Table A4.1).
Table 4.1: Number of income units assisted with CRA, by state and territory, June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Total Indigenous	17,358	3,549	14,220	3,101	2,025	1,392	187	951	42,797	
Total in Remote and very remote areas	1,787	132	4,667	2,750	2,219	408	. .	1,393	13,356	
Total	374,031	244,335	275,151	89,326	80,261	27,740	8,887	5,351	1,105,154	
Notes
1.	Data may not add to Australian totals due to missing or incomplete state data.
2. 	Australian total includes ‘Other territories’ (ABS 2007b).
3..	Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Sources: AIHW analysis of Australian Government Housing Data Set, June 2010; SCRGSP 2011.
The goal of CRA is to alleviate affordability pressures and reduce the levels of rental stress among those in most need of assistance. Figure 4.1 shows that the proportion of income units in rental stress (paying greater than 30% of their income in rent) reduces significantly once CRA has been provided; however, a considerable proportion of income units remain in rental stress even after receipt of CRA. Rental stress for those on low incomes is of particular concern. Almost all (94%) of CRA income units are classified as low income.
Figure 4.1: CRA recipients in rental stress (paying greater than 30% of income in rent) before 
and after CRA, by income unit type, June 2010 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing, before CRA and after CRA, on the y-axis proportion of CRA recipients in rental stress, and on the x-axis income unit type.
Source: Table A4.1.
4.2	Private rent assistance
Private rent assistance relates to financial assistance provided by state and territory governments to eligible low-income households renting in the private market. Private rent assistance is usually provided as a one-off form of support and includes bond loans, rental grants, rental subsidies and payment of relocation expenses. In 2009–10, states and territories provided $105.1 million in private rent assistance to about 154,000 households (AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10).
The range of private rent assistance programs differs across the states and territories, as does the eligibility criteria that applicants are required to meet before being granted a specific type of assistance. During 2009–10, all states and territories provided bond loans; five provided rental grants, subsidies and relief (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania); two provided relocation expenses (Victoria and Tasmania); and two provided other types of assistance (New South Wales and Victoria).
Table 4.2 provides a breakdown of the number of households helped by type of private rent assistance. Of the 154,000 households helped in 2009–10, around half (48%) received bond loan assistance; a further 42% received rental grants, subsidies and relief; 1% received relocation assistance; and 10% received other assistance. The average amount of assistance provided per household was $896 for bond loans; $337 for rental grants, subsidies and relief; $319 for relocation assistance; and $1,135 for other assistance (Figure 4.2).
Table 4.2: Number of households(a) helped by private rent assistance, by state and territory, 2009–10
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Bond loans	20,149	10,245(b)	18,198	7,879	14,931	1,710	121	207	73,440	
Rental grants, subsidies and relief	17,102	26,473(c)(d)	1,474	. .	16,249	3,059	. .	. .	64,357	
Relocation expenses	. .	1,329(d)	. .	. .	. .	239	. .	. .	1,568	
Other	14,277	793(d)	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	15,070	
Total(d)	51,528	38,840	19,672	7,879	31,180	5,008	121	207	154,435	
(a)	Includes all households that began receiving assistance during 2009–10 and all households that began receiving an ongoing form of assistance in a previous financial year and continued to receive this assistance during 2009–10.
(b)	Includes 9,960 bond loans provided by the Office of Housing, DHS Vic, and 285 bond loans derived from the Victorian Assessment and Planning (AP) module Housing Establishment Fund (HEF) transactions. Note that a small number of duplicate HEF transactions were removed in the derivation of this estimate. Also note that care should be taken in interpreting this number due to the method of compilation (which is based on data availability) using a combination of data at the household level and HEF data that relate to the transactional level.
(c)	Figure comprises 26,450 rental grants (one-off) and 23 ongoing rental subsidies.
(d)	Figure derived from Victorian AP module HEF transactions. Note that a small number of duplicate HEF transactions were removed in the derivation of this estimate.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Figure 4.2: Average amount of private rent assistance received by assistance type, 2009–10
Vertical bar chart showing, on the y-axis average value, and on the x-axis private rent assistance type.
Note: The ‘Other’ category includes storage costs and/or whitegoods provided through a Housing Establishment Fund grant (Victoria) and temporary accommodation (New South Wales).
Source: Table A4.2.
4.3	Home purchase assistance
As outlined in Australia’s Future Tax System: final report (Treasury 2010), government policies have traditionally favoured owner-occupied housing as the preferred tenure type. This policy position reflects the Australian community’s perception that home ownership provides greater security in retirement and is a lifelong form of household saving and wealth creation that benefits the Australian economy. Under current policy settings, there are two main forms of government assistance available to home buyers. They are:
•	home purchase assistance administered by states and territories
•	the First Home Owner Grant funded by the Commonwealth Government and administered by state and territory treasury departments.
It should also be noted that the Commonwealth Government provided funding for the First Home Owner Boost scheme in late 2008 and calendar year 2009 in addition to the First Home Owner Grant scheme.
Data relating to delivery of the First Home Owner Grant and First Home Owner Boost schemes were not available to the AIHW in 2009–10 and therefore only home purchase assistance administered and managed by the states and territories is discussed in this report.
Home purchase assistance provided by states and territories
Home purchase assistance programs delivered by the states and territories under the NAHA relate to the provision of financial assistance to households to help in improving their access to home ownership. The home purchase assistance programs include the following:
•	direct lending (including government loans, shared equity and bridging loans)
•	deposit assistance
•	interest rate assistance
•	mortgage relief
•	other assistance grants.
Non-financial assistance, home renovation and/or maintenance services, and sale-to-tenant programs are out of scope for the purposes of this report.
In 2009–10, states and territories provided almost $2.1 billion (Table A4.3) in home purchase assistance (comprising direct lending, deposit assistance, interest rate assistance, mortgage relief, home purchase advisory and counselling services, and other assistance) to around 44,200 households across Australia (Table 4.3).
Almost all of this assistance (99%) was provided to households in the form of direct lending, with 90% of all households helped (39,686 households) receiving this type of assistance. Interest rate assistance helped a further 3,084 households and the remaining programs (deposit assistance, mortgage relief, home purchase advisory and counselling services, and other assistance) were delivered to 1,440 households (Table 4.3).
Table 4.3: Number of households(a) assisted through home purchase assistance programs, by state and territory, 2009–10
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Direct lending	588(b)	1,602	1,713	19,512	15,009	153	. .	1,109	39,686	
Deposit assistance	. .	. .	21	. .	. .	19	. .	. .	40	
Interest rate assistance	. .	. .	. .	. .	3,084	. .	. .	. .	3,084	
Mortgage relief	515	25	56	. .	. .	. .	22	. .	618	
Home purchase advisory and counselling services	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	. .	
Other	. .	264	. .	. .	. .	374	. .	144(c)	782	
Total	1,103	1,891	1,790	19,512	18,093	546	22	1,253	44,210	
(a)	Includes all households that began receiving home purchase assistance during the financial year 2009–10 and all households that began receiving an ongoing form of home purchase assistance in a previous financial year and continued to receive this assistance during the 2009–10 financial year.
(b)	Relates to the NSW Homefund Scheme, which was closed to new entrants in 1993.
(c)	Comprised Fee Assistance Loans administered by Homestart NT.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
5	Housing assistance for special needs groups
This report has highlighted the effective targeting of social housing and other housing assistance programs to Australians in designated population groups. This chapter discusses, in further detail, the housing circumstances of four particular groups: Indigenous Australians, younger Australians, older Australians and those with disability.
5.1	Housing assistance to Indigenous Australians
At 30 June 2006, the estimated resident Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia was 517,043, or 2.5% of the total Australian population (ABS 2010a). An estimated one-third of this population were living in Major cities (32%) and 43% in Inner and outer regional areas. Fewer Indigenous Australians were living in Remote and very remote areas, but they were more than 10 times as likely as non-Indigenous Australians (25% compared with 2%) to be living in these regions (ABS & AIHW 2008).
The level of home ownership among Indigenous households was half that of non-Indigenous households (34% compared with 69%). Indigenous households were 5 times as likely as other Australians to be renting from a state or territory housing authority or community housing organisation (20% compared with 4%) (Figure 5.1).
Figure 5.1: Proportion of Australian households in each tenure type, by Indigenous status, 2006 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing for, Non-Indigenous and Indigenous, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis tenure type.
Source: Table A5.1.
While the proportion renting from state and territory housing authorities remain fairly constant across the five remoteness classifications, dropping slightly only in Very remote areas, the proportion of Indigenous households in housing managed by community organisations increases markedly from 2% in Major cities to 40% in Remote and very remote areas (Figure 5.2). To a large extent, this reflects the types of tenure available in these areas (AIHW 2008b).
Figure 5.2: Proportion of Indigenous households in each tenure type, by remoteness, 2006 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing for, other tenure type, mainstream CH and ICH, State/territory housing authority, private and other renters, home owner/purchasers, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis remoteness. 
Notes
1.	Includes ‘other tenure type’ and ‘tenure type not stated’.
2.	Includes dwellings being rented from a real estate agent and from persons not in the same household as well as the category ‘landlord not stated’.
3.	Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: Table A5.2.
Housing assistance is provided to Indigenous Australians through a range of programs. A large proportion of housing assistance provided to Indigenous households occurs through mainstream social housing assistance programs, particularly CRA and public rental housing. However, targeted programs such as ICH and SOMIH also play an important role in the provision of housing assistance to Indigenous households (Table 5.1). Note that Indigenous identification data for home purchase assistance and private rent assistance are incomplete, and therefore providing figures for Indigenous households assisted by these programs is not possible.
Table 5.1: Targeted and mainstream housing assistance provided to Indigenous Australians, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Targeted Indigenous housing assistance	
ICH (dwellings(a))	4,460(b)	1,792	5,951(c)	3,276(d)	1,032(e)	135(f)	24(g)	2,426(h)	19,096	
SOMIH (households)	4,122	. .	3,147	2,088	1,753	341	. .	. .	11,451	
Indigenous access to mainstream housing assistance	
Public rental housing (households)	9,800	1,442	4,590	5,736	1,592	809	432	1,962	26,363	
Mainstream CH (households)	1,394	854	542	238	96	5	24	n.a.	3,153	
Commonwealth Rent Assistance (income units) (at 4 June 2010)	17,358	3,549	14,220	3,104	2,025	1,392	187	951	42,797(i)	
(a)	ICH dwelling count includes permanent and improvised dwellings.
(b)	Number includes only permanent dwellings and is at June 2009. Data cleansing, matching and quality assurance are being undertaken to update the information for 2010. There were no improvised dwellings reported by housing providers as at June 2010, but not all providers reported.
(c)	Dwelling numbers for unfunded organisations are not reliable and have not been verified as correct. Data on improvised dwellings are not available.
(d)	This is an estimated number based on historical survey results. Data are not maintained for non-funded organisations.
(e)	Only reports on dwellings identified during the 2008 and 2009 dwelling audits or dwellings recently built or upgraded. Dwelling numbers for eight ICHOs were sourced from historical records. Improvised dwellings are not recorded.
(f)	Dwelling number for one unfunded ICHO is based on historical records.
(g)	Historical data were used.
(h)	For 2009–10, only limited administrative data were collected on outstation dwellings. There have been no new constructions as per outstation policy. Organisations managing outstation communities received the same level of funding as in 2008–09.
(i)	Australian total includes ‘Other territories’ (ABS 2007b).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10; SCRGSP 2011.
Table 5.2 shows the allocation of new housing assistance to Indigenous households for the year ending 30 June 2010 compared to total new allocations. Of all new allocations to public rental housing, 16% were to households with at least one member identifying as Indigenous. In addition, 9% of new allocations in mainstream CH were to Indigenous households.

Table 5.2: Indigenous recipients of assistance through major housing assistance programs, for the year ending 30 June 2010 (number of new households and per cent)
	New allocations: Indigenous households 	New allocations:
all households	New allocations to Indigenous households
(per cent)	
Public rental housing	3,282	20,128	16.3	
State owned and managed Indigenous housing	1,069	1,069	100.0	
Mainstream CH	1,143	12,834	8.9	
Total	5,494	34,031	16.1	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
5.2	Housing assistance to young Australians
Early childhood experiences are seen to affect health, education and economic participation for the whole of life (WHO 2009). In recognition of this, all Australian governments have a shared vision of ensuring that all children have the best start in life to create a better future for them and for the nation (COAG 2009a).
Table 5.3 shows that, while most couple households with children own or are purchasing their home, social housing is clearly an important safety net for one-parent families, 16% of whom are public housing tenants.
Table 5.3: Proportion of household types by tenure type, 2007–08 (per cent)
	One-family households		Non-family households		
	Couple family with dependent children	One-parent family with dependent children	Couple only	Other	Multiple family	Lone person	Group	All	
Owner without a mortgage	17.7	8.1	49.7	43.3	22.3	37.5	6.8	33.2	
Owner with a mortgage	59.5	29.9	30.4	31.6	42.2	19.5	13.0	35.1	
Renter									
State/territory housing authority	1.4	15.9	1.4	3.4	10.3	9.0	0.9	4.5	
Private landlord	19.5	42.2	16.1	20.1	23.9	27.7	74.2	23.9	
Total renters	21.9	60.1	18.2	24.0	35.0	38.9	78.5	29.7	
All households	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
No. of households (’000)	2,129.0	497.7	2,141.6	933.4	114.0	2,004.1	257.5	8,077.3	
Source: ABS 2009c.
Children and young people feature prominently in housing assistance programs in Australia (Figure 5.3):
•	Children (17 years and under) account for almost 30% of people living in public rental housing and young people (24 years and under) as a whole comprise more than one-third (37%).
•	Children and young people comprise more than half (58%) of the SOMIH tenant population.
•	Children and young people also represent a significant group of tenants in mainstream CH. In 2009–10, 2,647 out of 42,414 mainstream CH households had a main tenant aged 24 years or under (AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10).
•	Just over one in two people living in income units in receipt of CRA at 4 June 2010 were under the age of 18 (55%), and around one in 20 were aged between 18 and 24 (6%).
Figure 5.3: Proportion of people living in public rental housing and SOMIH households, and 
CRA income units CRA, by age group, June 2010 (per cent)
Horizontal bar chart showing for, under 18 years, 18 to 24 years, 25 years and older, on the y-axis program, and on the x-axis per cent.
Source: Table A5.3.
At 30 June 2010, there were 45,500 young people who had been in the same public rental or SOMIH household since birth (Table A5.4). About half were young children aged 4 years or under, about one-quarter were aged 5–9 years and a further one-quarter were aged 10–19 years (Figure 5.4). The remaining 3% represents nearly 1,400 young people who have lived in the same public rental housing or SOMIH household for at least 20 years.
Figure 5.4: Young people in the same public rental housing or SOMIH household since birth, by age group, June 2010 (per cent)
Vertical bar chart showing for, public rental housing and SOMIH, on the y-axis per cent and on the x-axis age group.
Sorce: Table A5.4.
A recent AIHW report highlighted some intergenerational use of social housing, outlining the number of young people who were initially housed as dependants in public rental housing or SOMIH and subsequently made the transition to become the main tenant in a household lease. Many of these young people had made this transition without leaving public rental housing or SOMIH. Between 2003–04 and 2008–09, about 1,850 transitions occurred where a dependant living in public rental housing or SOMIH became a main tenant by the following year (AIHW 2010g). This represents just over 1% of all new households in public rental housing and SOMIH over the same period (165,500 new households).
5.3	Housing assistance to older Australians
The amenity, location and security of housing for older Australians (persons aged 65 years or over) provides an important backdrop for healthy ageing. Home ownership constitutes a significant financial resource for many older people, as well as providing a sense of security and continuity of lifestyle over time. This can reduce other stresses, and delay entry into residential aged care, particularly where appropriate home-based services are available (AIHW 2008b).
Older Australians enjoy very high rates of home ownership. The overall home ownership rate among older Australians living in private dwellings in 2007–08 was 84% in the age group 65–74 years and 82% in the age group 75 years and over, compared with 68% for all households (Table 5.4). High rates of home ownership mean that, on average, older Australians spend a lower proportion of their income (around 6%) on housing. However, older Australians renting privately spend up to 35% of their gross income on housing costs—the highest of any age group or tenure type (ABS 2009c).
Table 5.4: Housing circumstances of older people compared with all Australians, 2007–08
	65–74 years	75 years and over	All Australians	
No. of households	907,800	803,400	8,077,300	
Proportion of households (per cent)				
Owner without a mortgage	76.2	79.7	33.2	
Owner with a mortgage	8.1	2.4	35.1	
Renters(a)	14.0	14.2	29.7	
Renting from state or territory housing authority	6.5	6.1	4.5	
Renting from private landlord	6.9	6.4	23.9	
Total(b)	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Housing costs as proportion of gross income (per cent)			
Owner without a mortgage	3	4	2	
Owner with a mortgage	12	9	18	
Renters	26	32	17	
Renting from state or territory housing authority	21	27	19	
Renting from private landlord	30	35	18	
Total	6	6	13	
(a)	Includes ‘Other landlord’.
(b)	Includes ‘Other tenure type’.
Source: ABS 2009c.
Despite home ownership constituting the most common tenure for older Australians, housing assistance provides a safety net for older renters. Of those people aged 65 years and over receiving housing assistance at June 2010, the majority (more than 184,000 people) were supported through CRA (Table 5.5).
A further 117,429 older Australians were assisted through the public rental housing program and 1,689 people through SOMIH (Table 5.5). Indeed, the proportion of older people in public rental housing (18%) was above that of the general population (13%). Mainstream CH also supports older Australians. Data for households with a main tenant aged 65 years or over are not available; however, there were 3,885 households with a main tenant aged 75 years or over (AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10).

Table 5.5: Older recipients of housing assistance by type of assistance, June 2010
	Public rental housing	SOMIH	CRA	
No. of people aged 65 years and older living in households 	117,429	1,689	184,224	
Total no. of people living in households	651,475	35,453	1,105,154	
Older people as a proportion of all people (per cent)	18.0	4.8	16.7	
Sources: AIHW analysis of Australian Government Housing Data Set, June 2010; AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10; SCRGSP 2011.
Without CRA, just over 66% of recipients aged 65 years or over would be in rental stress (paying more than 30% of their income on rent), and 21% of recipients would be spending more than 50% of their income on rent (Table 5.6). The impact on older renter’s housing affordability is notable, with less than half (30%) of recipients spending more than 30% of their income on rent after CRA and an even smaller cohort of 7.6% paying more than 50% of their income on rent. Rental stress for those on low incomes is of particular concern. Almost all (97%) older CRA income units are classified as low income.
Table 5.6: Recipients of CRA aged 65 years or more, by proportion of income spent on rent with and without CRA payment, June 2010 (per cent)
	Proportion of income spent on rent	
	30% or less	31% to 50%	Over 50%	Total	
Before CRA	33.9	45.6	20.5	100.0	
After CRA	69.8	22.7	7.6	100.0	
Source: AIHW analysis of Australian Government Housing Data Set, June 2010.
5.4	Housing assistance to people with disability
Disability affects about one in five Australians and one in 20 in a significant way. The 2003 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers found that 6.3% of Australians had a profound or severe core activity limitation and sometimes or always needed assistance with self-care, communication or mobility (ABS 2004).
People with disability are likely to have lower incomes than the general population, fewer housing options, and higher dependence on social housing and support services (Beer & Faulkner 2009). The 2006 Census showed that the rate of home ownership was lower in all age groups for those with a need for assistance (that is, needing help with self-care, mobility and/or communication because of a disability, long-term health problem or old age) than those who did not have a need for assistance. One in 10 people with a need for assistance were renting from state or territory housing authorities, housing cooperatives, community groups or church groups. This is higher than the rate in the general population (ABS 2008b).
Social housing offers a safety net to people with disability who have difficulty securing and sustaining appropriate accommodation. As at 30 June 2010, public rental housing provided accommodation to more than 129,000 households with at least one member with a disability (Table 5.7), corresponding to 40% of public rental housing households overall. SOMIH accommodated 2,900 households and mainstream CH accommodated a further 13,800 households with a member with a disability.
Table 5.7: Allocation and support provided by social housing programs to households with a member with disability, 30 June 2010
	Public rental housing	SOMIH	Mainstream
CH	
No. of households with a member with disability(a)	129,476	2,852	13,826	
Total no. of households	325,726	11,451	42,414	
Disability households as a proportion of all households(b) (per cent)	39.8	24.9	32.6	
(a)	In some jurisdictions, disability status is derived using the receipt of a disability pension as a proxy.
(b)	All households include those with unknown disability status.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
In 2009–10, 79% of households with a member with a disability that were newly allocated to public rental housing were deemed to be in greatest need. A similarly high proportion (66%) of newly allocated SOMIH households with a member with a disability were in greatest need (AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10).
Figure 5.5 charts the main ‘greatest need’ reason nominated by these households allocated to public rental housing and SOMIH in 2009–10. Almost half (44% for public rental housing and 42% for SOMIH) nominated homelessness as their main reason for seeking support. The next most frequently nominated main reason for seeking support was that their health condition was aggravated by their previous housing.
CRA is another avenue in which housing assistance can be provided to households with one or more persons with disability. In 2010, CRA supported almost 220,000 households with a member that was receiving a Disability Support Pension (SCRGSP 2011). Although CRA provides significant assistance to households, around one in three income units in receipt of the Disability Support Pension were still spending more than 30% of gross household income in rent after CRA (34%) (SCRGSP 2011).
Figure 5.5: Main ‘greatest need’ reason reported by households with a member with a disability allocated to public rental housing and SOMIH, 2009–10 (per cent)
Horizontal bar chart showing for, SOMIH and public rental housing, on the y-axis greatest need reason, and on the x-axis per cent.
Source: Table A5.5.
Appendix: Additional tables
A.1	Housing and housing assistance in Australia
Table A1.1: Subpopulations in Australia(a)
	NSW	Vic 	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
State populations										
No. of people (millions)	7.2	5.5	4.5	2.3	1.6	0.5	0.4	0.2	22.3	
Proportion of Australian population (per cent)	32.4	24.8	20.2	10.3	7.4	2.3	1.6	1.0	100	
Population in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas (bottom two-fifths)					
No. of people (millions)	3.0	2.2	1.7	0.7	0.8	0.3	0.0	0.1	8.8	
Proportion of total population (per cent)	44.3	42.8	40.7	48.3	37.7	53.8	26.3	25.9	42.7	
Population in remote and very remote areas								
No. of people (’000s)	37.4	4.7	136.7	146.5	60.1	10.4	0.0	100.1	498.2	
Proportion of total population (per cent)	0.5	0.1	3.1	6.5	3.7	2.1	—	44.3	2.3	
Indigenous population										
No. of Indigenous people (’000s)	158.8	35.1	152.5	73.5	29.2	18.6	4.4	66.3	539.4	
Proportion of total population (per cent)	2.3	0.7	3.6	3.4	1.8	3.7	1.3	30.2	2.5	
Proportion in Remote and very remote areas (per cent)	5.2	n.p.	22.2	42.6	18.7	n.p.	—	79.8	24.6	
Households in housing stress (spending more than 30% of gross income on housing)				
No. of households (’000s)	466.7	276.3	249.2	91.0	109.4	22.9	9.3	20.4	1252.0	
Proportion of total population (per cent)	17.6	13.9	15.8	13.9	13.5	11.3	15.5	15.3	15.5	
Homelessness										
No. of homeless persons (’000s)	27.4	20.5	26.8	13.4	8.0	2.5	1.4	4.8	104.7	
Proportion of total population (per cent)	0.4	0.4	0.7	0.7	0.5	0.5	0.4	2.5	0.5	
People with disability										
No. of people with a disability (’000s)	1,190.5	992.3	834	405.5	362.1	111.7	45.2	—	3,941.3	
Proportion of total population (per cent)	17.7	19.9	22.5	21.4	22.6	22.6	15.8	—	20.0	
Older Australians										
No. of people aged 65 or over (’000s)	988.1	738.1	545.6	267.2	250.7	76.8	35.7	11.9	2,914.3	
Proportion of total population (per cent)	13.8	13.5	12.3	11.9	15.4	15.3	10.1	5.2	13.3	
(a)	Data are drawn from most recent data sources but timeframes vary.
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Sources: ABS 2008a; ABS 2009c; ABS 2010a; ABS 2010e; CRC 2010.
Table A1.2: Dwelling numbers by state and territory and tenure type for all of Australia and for remote areas only, 2006 (’000s)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
All of Australia		
Owned/being purchased	1,552.9	1,276.5	909.8	485.3	406.0	129.6	80.0	26.6	4,866.8	
Private rental	519.2	349.9	333.1	137.9	94.4	29.9	22.6	11.1	1,498.2	
Real estate agent	389.7	251.5	220.0	78.4	49.4	14.1	14.1	6.9	1,024.2	
Person not in same household	129.5	98.4	113.1	59.4	45.0	15.8	8.5	4.2	474.0	
Public housing	108.8	54.5	47.9	28.6	40.2	10.4	9.2	4.6	304.4	
Community housing	14.6	7.5	10.0	5.1	6.4	1.1	0.45	5.1	50.2	
Other landlord type	25.7	14.5	28.6	13.9	7.6	2.5	1.6	5.0	99.4	
 Landlord type not stated	19.1	12.7	12.7	6.0	4.7	1.7	0.5	0.8	58.2	
Other tenure type	19.3	11.9	11.7	7.2	7.5	1.4	0.6	0.4	60.1	
Tenure type not stated	68.7	54.3	37.8	19.3	17.1	5.4	1.9	2.2	206.7	
Total	2,328.2	1,781.7	1,391.6	703.2	584.0	181.9	116.9	55.9	7,144.1	
Remote and very remote areas		
Owned/being purchased	7.9	1.5	20.9	18.0	13.0	2.8	n.a.	6.6	70.6	
Private rental	1.6	0.2	5.0	5.3	3.0	0.6	n.a.	2.5	18.2	
Real estate agent	0.4	0.0	1.9	2.8	1.1	0.1	n.a.	1.4	7.8	
Person not in same household	1.2	0.2	3.1	2.5	1.8	0.5	n.a.	1.1	10.4	
Public housing	0.6	0.0	2.4	4.0	1.2	0.1	n.a.	1.5	9.9	
Community housing	0.5	0.0	2.8	2.2	0.5	0.0	n.a.	4.9	10.9	
Other landlord type	1.4	0.1	5.2	6.5	1.3	0.3	n.a.	3.1	17.8	
Landlord type not stated	0.6	0.0	1.6	1.2	0.4	0.1	n.a.	0.5	4.5	
Other tenure type	0.3	0.0	0.7	0.5	0.3	0.0	n.a.	0.3	2.1	
Tenure type not stated	0.6	0.1	1.6	1.5	0.8	0.1	n.a.	1.0	5.6	
Total	13.4	1.9	40.2	39.1	20.6	4.0	n.a.	20.5	139.6	
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: ABS 2007a.

Table A1.3: Housing stock and utilisation, 1998–2008
	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	
Housing stock		
No. of occupied private dwellings(a) (’000)	7,015	7,127	7,250	7,368	7,489	7,612	7,732	7,851	7,968	8,086	8,203	
Dwelling structure(b)												
Separate house (per cent)	79.4	n.a.	79.4	78.1	n.a.	77.7	80.0	n.a.	79.0	n.a.	78.1	
Semi-detached (per cent)	8.6	n.a.	9.8	9.9	n.a.	10.2	8.3	n.a.	9.4	n.a.	8.6	
Flat (per cent)	11.5	n.a.	10.0	11.3	n.a.	11.4	11.2	n.a.	10.6	n.a.	12.9	
Housing use		
Average persons per household	2.65	n.a.	2.62	2.58	n.a.	2.53	2.53	n.a.	2.51	n.a.	2.56	
Average bedrooms per dwelling	2.96	n.a.	3.00	3.00	n.a.	3.00	3.02	n.a.	3.06	n.a.	3.07	
(a)	Data for 1998–2000 are household estimates based on 1996 Census data. For 2001 onwards, household numbers are projected based on 2001 Census data.
(b)	Components do not total 100% because ‘other’ dwellings are not included.
Source: ABS 2009a.
Table A1.4: Proportion of households in each housing cost category, 1994–95 to 2007–08(a) (per cent)
	1994–95	1995–96	1996–97	1997–98	1999–00	2000–01	2002–03	2003–04	2005–06	2007–08	
Housing costs as a proportion of gross income	
25% or less	80.3	80.3	80.5	79.5	80.8	80.3	79.2	78.7	76.5	78.2	
More than 25% to 30%	5.8	5.6	5.8	5.8	5.6	5.8	6.4	6.6	7.0	6.4	
More than 30% to 50%	9.2	9.7	9.7	10.4	9.4	9.8	9.8	10.4	11.4	10.3	
More than 50% 	4.6	4.3	4.0	4.4	4.2	4.2	4.6	4.4	5.1	5.2	
All households 	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
Estimated no. of households (’000)	6,546.6	6,657.2	6,770.6	6,902.3	7,121.2	7,314.9	7,638.2	7,735.8	7,926.2	8,077.3	
(a)	Data not available for 1998–99, 2001–02 and 2004–05.
Source: ABS 2009c.
Table A1.5: Projected demand for housing: number of dwellings in 2021 relative to 2006, by tenure type
Region	Owner/purchaser	Public renters	Private renters	
NSW capital city	1.23	1.21	1.18	
NSW rest of state	1.25	1.24	1.17	
Vic capital city	1.30	1.37	1.29	
Vic rest of state	1.22	1.25	1.15	
Qld capital city	1.38	1.39	1.31	
Qld rest of state	1.47	1.46	1.35	
SA capital city	1.19	1.24	1.15	
SA rest of state	1.23	1.29	1.16	
WA capital city	1.41	1.53	1.35	
WA rest of state	1.42	1.42	1.25	
Tas capital city	1.22	1.20	1.11	
Tas rest of state	1.17	1.18	1.09	
NT	1.36	1.50	1.26	
ACT	1.32	1.33	1.20	
Source: NHSC 2008.A.2	Housing provided by government
Table A2.1: Geographical distribution of public rental and SOMIH dwellings, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing									
Major cities	95,936	46,945	34,778	22,054	32,508	. .	10,848	. .	243,069	
Inner regional	15,980	14,758	8,482	3,037	2,805	8,390	10	. .	53,462	
Outer regional	3,433	3,343	7,301	3,107	5,886	2,978	. .	3,577	29,625	
Remote	302	18	865	2,313	739	61	. .	1,333	5,631	
Very remote	35	. .	279	990	72	31	. .	189	1,596	
Total	115,686	65,064	51,705	31,501	42,010	11,460	10,858	5,099	333,383	
SOMIH										
Major cities	1,759	. .	459	612	1,132	. .	. .	. .	3,962	
Inner regional	1,364	. .	623	175	142	291	. .	. .	2,595	
Outer regional	838	. .	1,319	460	334	58	. .	. .	3,009	
Remote	208	. .	338	454	98	0	. .	. .	1,098	
Very remote	31	. .	579	485	191	0	. .	. .	1,286	
Total	4,201	. .	3,318	2,187	1,897	349	. .	. .	11,952	
Notes
1.	Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
2.	Totals may not add due to rounding.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.2: Number of social housing dwellings, by program, 2003–04 to 2009–10
	Government-managed sector		Community-managed sector	Total	
At 30 June	Public rental housing	SOMIH		Mainstream CH	ICH(a)		
2004	345,335	12,725		26,753(b)	21,717	406,530	
2005	343,301	12,860		31,496(c)	18,261	405,918	
2006	341,378	12,893		32,349(c)	22,192	408,812	
2007	339,771	13,098		35,161	22,018	410,048	
2008	337,866	12,778		38,519	23,279	412,442	
2009	336,464	12,056		41,718	20,232	415,101(d)	
2010	333,383	11,952		45,975	19,096	415,037(d)	
 (a)	ICH figures include improvised dwellings. Caution should be used when comparing dwelling numbers over time for reasons of data quality and changes to data definitions and scope.
(b)	Mainstream CH dwelling numbers for 2004 are subject to survey response rate.
(c)	Mainstream CH data for 2005 and 2006 were sourced from the trial collection of unit record-level dwellings and organisation administrative data that excluded the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT’s figures have been included but sourced from Commonwealth State Housing Agreement national data reports.
A number of these dwellings are boarding houses that may include multiple tenancies. Consequently, the total social housing dwelling number may be revised in the future as data for these dwellings are aligned with social housing program collection definitions.
(d)	Total number of dwellings includes 4,631 remote community housing dwellings in the Northern Territory. These are not included in any of the program totals as data for these dwellings are not yet available for reporting.
Sources: AIHW 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2005d, 2005e, 2005f, 2006a, 2006c,2006d, 2007a, 2007b, 2008a,  2008c, 2008d, 2009b, 2009d, 2009e, 2009f, 2010a, 2010b, 2010d, 2010e, 2010f; AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10; NT 2011.
Table A2.3: Number of households assisted in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing		
Total households assisted	114,421	62,593	51,041	30,558	40,206	11,266	10,737	4,904	325,726	
Total Indigenous households assisted	9,800	1,442	4,590	5,736	1,592	809	432	1,962	26,363	
Indigenous households assisted as a proportion of all households (per cent) 	8.6	2.3	9.0	18.8	4.0	7.2	4.0	40.0	8.1	
SOMIH		
Total households assisted	4,122	. .	3,147	2,088	1,753	341	. .	. .	11,451	
Indigenous proportion assisted (per cent)	100	. .	100	100	100	100	. .	. .	100	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.4: Number of households newly assisted in public rental housing, SOMIH and mainstream CH, 2003–04 to 2009–10
	Public rental housing	SOMIH	Mainstream CH	Total	
2003–04	30,787	1,667	6,108	38,562	
2004–05	27,702	1,492	7,696	36,890	
2005–06	27,482	1,371	6,486	35,339	
2006–07	26,770	1,462	8,741	36,973	
2007–08	23,627	1,284	8,728	33,639	
2008–09	20,702	1,105	9,910	31,717	
2009–10	20,128	1,069	12,834	34,031	
Sources: AIHW 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2005d, 2005e, 2006a, 2006c,2006d, 2007a, 2008a, 2008c, 2008d, 2009b, 2009e, 2009f, 2010a, 2010b, 2010e, 2010f; AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.5: Proportion of newly assisted households that are in greatest need
(per cent)
	Public rental housing	SOMIH	Mainstream CH	
2003–04	36.3	26.5	70.1	
2004–05	37.7	27.5	78.9	
2005–06	38.1	26.3	71.0	
2006–07	42.8	25.8	69.6	
2007–08	51.2	30.2	71.2	
2008–09	66.0	48.6	75.0	
2009–10	74.9	55.9	63.1	
Sources: AIHW 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2005d, 2005e, 2006a, 2006c,2006d, 2007a, 2008a, 2008c, 2008d, 2009b, 2009e, 2009f, 2010a, 2010b, 2010e, 2010f; AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.6: Allocation and access in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 2009–10
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Total new households assisted									
Public housing (PH)	5,861	3,799	3,886	2,400	2,249	921	557	455	20,128	
SOMIH	362	. .	314	226	141	26	. .	. .	1,069	
Indigenous access to public rental housing								
New Indigenous households assisted in PH	834	131	792	791	316	123	41	254	3,282	
Proportion of new PH households that are Indigenous (per cent)	14.2	3.4	20.4	33.0	14.1	13.4	7.4	55.8	16.3	
Proportion of new tenancies that are allocated to households with special needs				
Public housing (per cent)	64.3	60.5	72.4	62.1	70.0	65.7	51.5	66.8	65.3	
SOMIH (per cent)	52.2	. .	56.7	38.5	55.3	61.5	. .	. .	51.3	
Proportion of new tenancies that are allocated to households in greatest need				
Public housing (per cent)	69.5	72.0	87.7	61.0	80.3	94.8	89.2	45.7	74.9	
SOMIH (per cent)	34.8	. .	75.8	48.0	88.7	n.a.	. .	. .	55.9	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.7: Number of public rental housing and SOMIH households, by length of tenure, 30 June 2010
	Public rental housing	SOMIH	
6 months or less	16,033	917	
Over 6 months to 2 years	42,215	2,004	
Over 2 years to 5 years	68,613	2,910	
Over 5 years to 10 years	79,369	2,687	
Over 10 years	119,442	2,933	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.8: Transfers and exits from public rental housing and SOMIH, 2009–10
Program	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Number of households that transferred	
Public rental housing	3,988	2,073	1,155	1,272	991	347	217	234	10,277	
SOMIH	193	. .	96	129	62	21	. .	. .	501	
Total	4,181	2,073	1,251	1,401	1,053	368	217	234	10,778	
Number of households that exited	
Public rental housing	8,682	3,771	3,424	2,458	2,817	1,019	440	527	23,138	
SOMIH	323	(a)198	215	290	146	28	. .	. .	1,200	
Total	9,005	3,969	3,639	2,748	2,963	1,047	440	527	24,338	
(a)	During 2009–10 Victoria transferred tenancy management functions of all SOMIH stock to Aboriginal Housing Victoria. These dwellings are no longer classified as SOMIH and the households are no longer classified as SOMIH households.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.9: Proportion of allocations in the time period to those in greatest need and to those with special needs, by program, 2009–10 (per cent)
	Greatest need		Special needs	
	Public rental housing	SOMIH		Public rental housing	SOMIH	
Less than 3 months 	83.4	62.0		62.7	55.0	
3 months to less than 6 months 	84.9	74.2		65.8	57.5	
6 months to less than 1 year 	81.5	59.7		64.8	52.5	
1 year to less than 2 years 	74.8	49.7		68.8	49.7	
More than 2 years 	44.7	27.4		65.3	42.1	
All	74.9	55.9		65.3	51.3	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.10: Number and proportion of public rental housing and SOMIH households classified as low income, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing		
No. of low-income households	102,268	61,039	49,115	29,790	38,150	10,306	10,668	4,294	305,630	
No. of households for which income and tenancy details are known	102,977	62,263	50,950	30,513	40,199	10,942	10,735	4,325	312,904	
Low-income households as a proportion of all households (per cent)(a)	99.3	98.0	96.4	97.6	94.9	94.2	99.4	99.3	97.7	
SOMIH		
No. of low-income households	2,633	. .	2,912	2,020	1,603	307	. .	. .	9,475	
No. of households for which income and tenancy details are known	2,667	. .	3,142	2,085	1,752	325	. .	. .	9,971	
Low-income households as a proportion of all households (per cent)(a)	98.7	. .	92.7	96.9	91.5	94.5	. .	. .	95.0	
(a)	All households include households where rebate status was unknown or inadequately described.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A2.11: Workforce participation and employment of adults living in public rental housing, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
	Proportion of adults(a)	
Total in the labour force		48.3	
Employed full-time	32.8		
Employed part-time	35.8		
Unemployed	31.5		
Total	100.0		
Total not in the labour force		51.7	
Total		100.0	
(a)	These values are not comparable with those reported for the previous National Social Housing Survey cycle due to a change in methodology: workforce participation rates reported previously reflect only the circumstances of the person who completed the survey whereas the current data include all adult household members.
Source: AIHW Analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey of public rental housing tenants.
Table A2.12: Number and proportion of low-income public rental housing and SOMIH households paying given proportions of their assessable income in rent, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing		
No. of households paying given proportion of assessable income in rent 	
20% or less 	7,630	8,525	8,486	10,108	9,057	2,632	977	2,826	50,241	
More than 20% but less than 25%	92,285	48,254	40,449	18,428	26,695	6,045	8,248	1,535	241,939	
More than 25% but less than 30%	1,951	1,687	156	908	602	945	41	132	6,422	
More than 30%	109	2,387	18	319	630	18	81	281	3,843	
Proportion paying more than 30% of assessable income in rent (per cent)	0.1	3.9	0.0	1.1	1.7	0.2	0.9	5.9	1.3	
SOMIH		
No. of households paying given proportion of assessable income in rent 	
20% or less 	396	. .	1,061	1,338	611	91	. .	. .	3,497	
More than 20% but less than 25%	2,192	. .	1,838	588	897	156	. .	. .	5,671	
More than 25% but less than 30%	27	. .	8	50	24	30	. .	. .	139	
More than 30%	2	. .	3	40	34	0	. .	. .	79	
Proportion paying more than 30% of assessable income in rent (per cent)	0.1	. .	0.0	2.0	2.2	0.0	. .	. .	0.8	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A2.13: Number and proportion of rebated and non-rebated public rental housing and SOMIH households, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing										
No. of rebated households	102,997	52,485	49,706	26,034	36,096	9,485	9,656	4,201	290,660	
No. of households paying market rent	11,424	10,108	1,335	4,524	4,109	1,781	1,081	649	35,011	
Rebated households as a proportion of all households (per cent)	90.0	83.9	97.4	85.2	89.8	84.2	89.9	85.7	
89.2	
SOMIH										
No. of rebated households	2,667	. .	2,858	1,626	1,614	278	. .	. .	9,043	
No. of households paying market rent	1,455	. .	289	462	139	63	. .	. .	2,408	
Rebated households as a proportion of all households (per cent)	64.7	. .	90.8	77.9	92.1	81.5	. .	. .	79.0	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.14: Rents charged and rebates received in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, week of 30 June 2010 ($’000)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing	
Total rent charged to tenants	12,713.2	6,905.7	5,306.6	3,045.2	4,156.9	1,170.2	1,455.2	550.6	35,303.6	
Total market rent value of dwellings	27,665.4	12,057.2	12,862.7	4,996.3	7,867.5	1,994.1	3,625.4	1,213.1	72,281.7	
SOMIH		
Total rent charged to tenants	665.1	. .	393.6	245.6	201.7	41.2	. .	. .	1,547.2	
Total market rent value of dwellings	946.7	. .	847.1	396.2	402.0	68.8	. .	. .	2,660.8	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A2.15: Occupancy and tenantability in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Public rental housing	
No. of tenantable dwellings	115,585	63,108	51,209	30,802	40,945	11,315	10,766	4,946	328,676	
No. of untenantable dwellings	101	1,585	445	371	335	112	92	122	3,163	
No. of occupied dwellings	114,422	62,593	51,041	30,558	40,206	11,266	10,737	4,850	325,673	
Average turnaround time of dwelling stock (days), year ending 30 June 2010	29.4	30.1	27.1	17.3	24.6	27.4	36.1	95.9	28.8	
SOMIH		
No. of tenantable dwellings	4,200	. .	3,177	2,102	1,875	344	. .	. .	11,698	
No. of untenantable dwellings	1	. .	119	58	8	5	. .	. .	191	
No. of occupied dwellings	4,123	. .	3,147	2,088	1,753	341	. .	. .	11,452	
Average turnaround time of dwelling stock (days), for year ending 30 June 2010	28.1	. .	43.6	21.3	29.1	40.7	. .	. .	30.5	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.16: Number and proportion of households in public rental housing and SOMIH where dwelling is not matched to household size, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Number of households for which tenancy composition and dwelling details are known	
Public rental housing	102,078	52,458	51,041	30,546	40,099	10,942	9,613	4,403	301,180	
SOMIH	2,631	. .	3,147	2,087	1,741	325	. .	. . 	9,931	
Number of households where dwelling size is not appropriate due to overcrowding	
Public rental housing	3,254	2,746	2,431	1,263	1,006	451	382	252	11,785	
SOMIH	88	. .	461	256	191	16	0	0	1,012	
Proportion of households where dwelling size is not appropriate due to overcrowding	
Public rental housing (per cent)	3.2	5.2	4.8	4.1	2.5	4.1	4.0	5.7	3.9	
SOMIH (per cent)	3.3	. .	14.6	12.3	11.0	4.9	. .	. .	10.2	
Number of households with underutilisation	
Public rental housing	56,091	22,656	23,320	16,017	29,300	5,735	5,465	1,676	160,260	
SOMIH	2,001	. .	1,608	1,098	1,115	228	. .	. .	6,050	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.17: Number of Indigenous households in public rental housing requiring additional bedrooms due to overcrowding, by number of additional bedrooms required, remoteness, and state and territory, 2009–10
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Major cities		
One more bedroom needed	240	60	178	196	56	. .	36	. .	766	
Two or more bedrooms needed	41	7	42	54	12	. .	9	. .	165	
Total	281	73	229	249	68	. .	45	. .	945	
Inner regional		
One more bedroom needed	97	49	66	n.p.	n.p.	58	0	. .	314	
Two or more bedrooms needed	19	8	16	n.p.	n.p.	8	0	. .	61	
Total	117	64	85	44	10	66	0	. .	386	
Outer regional		
One more bedroom needed	n.p.	30	197	71	46	n.p.	. .	149	554	
Two or more bedrooms needed	n.p.	9	36	16	9	n.p.	. .	13	90	
Total	42	45	238	87	55	26	. .	162	655	
Remote		
One more bedroom needed	6	0	40	128	6	0	. .	81	261	
Two or more bedrooms needed	0	0	12	29	0	0	. .	12	53	
Total	6	0	53	157	6	0	. .	93	315	
Very remote		
One more bedroom needed	n.p.	. .	n.p.	66	0	0	. .	16	95	
Two or more bedrooms needed	0	. .	n.p.	27	n.p.	0	. .	n.p.	34	
Total	n.p.	. .	12	94	n.p.	0	. .	n.p.	130	
Total	447	182	617	632	141	92	45	276	2,432	
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A2.18: Number of SOMIH households requiring additional bedroom due to overcrowding, 
by number of additional bedrooms required, remoteness, and state and territory, 2009–10
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Major cities		
One more bedroom needed	97	. .	51	61	90	. .	. .	. .	299	
Two or more bedrooms needed	21	. .	13	14	26	. .	. .	. .	74	
Total	117	. .	65	75	116	. .	. .	. .	373	
Inner regional		
One more bedroom needed	84	. .	45	n.p.	n.p.	n.p.	. .	. .	172	
Two or more bedrooms needed	22	. .	17	n.p.	n.p.	n.p.	. .	. .	48	
Total	106	. .	65	23	11	17	. .	. .	222	
Outer regional		
One more bedroom needed	47	. .	135	33	n.p.	n.p.	. .	. .	243	
Two or more bedrooms needed	10	. .	51	11	n.p.	n.p.	. .	. .	81	
Total	57	. .	194	44	n.p.	n.p.	. .	. .	333	
Remote		
One more bedroom needed	n.p.	. .	29	37	n.p.	0	. .	. .	89	
Two or more bedrooms needed	n.p.	. .	10	13	n.p.	0	. .	. .	28	
Total	16	. .	41	50	11	0	. .	. .	118	
Very remote		
One more bedroom needed	n.p.	. .	66	44	n.p.	0	. .	. .	127	
Two or more bedrooms needed	n.p.	. .	33	19	n.p.	0	. .	. .	57	
Total	n.p.	. .	110	64	n.p.	0	. .	. .	196	
Total	299	. .	474	256	191	21	. .	. .	1241	
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A2.19: Public rental housing tenants’ overall satisfaction rating, by state and territory, Aug–Sept 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Sample size	4,269	702	1,822	657	627	977	1,094	357	9,411	
Very satisfied (per cent)	18.8	27.2	39.2	30.1	33.5	25.0	42.0	27.5	27.2	
Satisfied (per cent)	45.4	47.3	45.2	43.8	48.1	43.0	33.0	46.8	45.9	
Source: AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey of public rental housing tenants.
Table A2.20: Public rental housing tenants’ rating of amenity aspects as important and meeting their needs, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Sample size (no.)	4,388	721	1,873	677	644	1,018	1,094	360	9,681	
Size of dwelling 	85.5	78.5	86.0	85.0	88.5	80.3	81.0	84.5	84.4	
Modifications for special needs 	71.2	79.0	80.7	80.3	77.1	71.7	77.0	87.7	76.4	
Ease of access and entry	87.7	85.5	91.1	93.1	92.1	88.7	89.0	90.6	89.0	
Car parking	82.1	76.2	81.1	83.8	85.6	84.9	77.0	77.5	81.6	
Yard space and fencing	74.4	73.2	83.4	84.6	85.7	80.3	78.0	80.4	78.5	
Privacy of home	82.5	78.8	83.8	87.6	84.7	78.5	79.0	79.4	82.6	
Safety/security of home	74.7	78.9	87.1	79.4	79.2	74.4	68.0	78.2	78.7	
Average	79.7	78.6	84.7	84.8	84.7	79.8	78.4	82.6	81.6	
Source: AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey of public rental housing tenants.

Table A2.21: Public rental housing tenants’ rating of location aspects as important and meeting their needs, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Sample size (no.)	4,388	721	1873	677	644	1,018	1,094	360	9,681	
Shops and banking 	89.3	91.5	92.7	90.1	91.4	89.3	92.0	93.4	90.7	
Public transport 	90.4	90.8	91.2	89.1	90.1	90.9	94.0	92.6	90.5	
Parks and recreational facilities	89.8	87.8	91.7	93.9	88.2	85.2	90.0	86.0	89.7	
Emergency services, medical services, hospitals	89.0	92.1	90.9	90.3	89.9	85.4	86.0	86.7	90.0	
Child care facilities	88.3	86.0	91.7	88.6	88.0	88.0	76.0	87.3	88.3	
Education/training facilities	89.7	87.0	90.7	83.6	88.2	82.9	82.0	87.8	88.4	
Employment/place of work	85.8	87.2	89.4	85.8	91.8	83.4	79.0	85.6	87.3	
Community and support services 	84.7	88.0	88.2	87.3	86.7	84.1	85.0	86.6	86.5	
Family and friends 	86.3	87.0	89.6	91.4	87.5	89.3	83.0	90.1	87.8	
Safety/security of neighbourhood 	72.2	76.1	83.1	79.1	75.8	73.5	71.0	67.5	75.9	
Average	86.5	87.4	89.9	87.9	87.8	85.2	83.8	86.4	87.5	
Source: AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing survey of public rental housing tenants.
A.3	Social housing provided by the not-for-profit sector
Table A3.1: Number of organisations, dwellings and assisted households in mainstream CH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
No. of CH organisations	154	119	281	189	94	89	5	28	959	
No. of dwellings	18,005	8,465	7,197	5,878	4,544	1,103	638	145	45,975	
No. of households assisted	18,233	8,262	6,855	3,561	4,464	589	450	n.a.	42,414	
No. of Indigenous households assisted	1,394	854	542	238	96	5	24	n.a.	3,153	
Note: No household data are available for mainstream CH in NT.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A3.2: Number of organisations, dwellings and assisted households in ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW(a)	Vic(b)	Qld(c)	WA(d)	SA(e)	Tas(f)	ACT(g)	NT(h)	Aust	
Total no. of ICHOs	205	19	84	8	41	3	1	30	391	
No. of funded ICHOs	98	19	29	8	33	2	1	30	220	
Total no. of dwellings	4,460	1,792	5,951	3,276	1,032	135	24	2,426	19,096	
No. of permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs	2,197	1,792	4,442	2,496	1,000	51	24	2,043	14,045	
No. of improvised dwellings managed by funded ICHOs	0	0	n.a.	18	n.a. 	0	0	383	401	
No. of bedrooms in permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs	6,947	5,172	14,353	7,398	* 2,524	134	75	5,312	41,915	
No. of households in permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs	** 1,996	* 1,521	4,261	2,838	* 1,080	46	n.a.	2,043	* 13,785	
No. of people in permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs	* 5,720	3,854	19,230	7,935	* 3,642	100	n.a.	n.a.	* 40,481	
(a)	No. of funded ICHOs refers to the Aboriginal housing organisations that are actively registered with the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) and provided data as at June 2010 (includes data from 18 organisations that are not actively registered in 2009 but eligible to participate in the NSW’s Provider Assessment and Registration System (PARS) and provided data in 2010).
No. of permanent dwellings managed by organisations that are not actively registered is the total number as at June 2009. Data cleansing, matching and quality assurance are being undertaken to update the information for 2010.
Permanent dwellings owned or managed under headlease arrangement by Aboriginal housing organisations that are actively registered with the AHO and provided data as at June 2010 (includes data from 18 organisations that are not actively registered in 2009 but eligible to participate in the PARS and provided data in 2010).
The zero number of improvised dwellings refers only to the housing providers that provided data as at June 2010.
The no. of bedrooms relate to the 2,197 permanent dwellings owned or managed under headlease arrangement by housing providers that are actively registered and provided data to AHO in 2010 and additional 18 providers that are not actively registered but provided data as at 2010 and are eligible for PARS assessment.
No. of households is for permanent dwellings managed by actively registered organisations and others eligible for PARS assessment.
No. of people does not relate to all the 4,460 dwellings in the sector. The 5,720 people relates only to the number of people living in 1,778 dwellings out of the 2,197 dwellings owned or managed under headlease arrangement by housing providers that are actively registered and provided data to AHO in 2010 and additional 18 providers that are not actively registered but provided data as at 2010 and are eligible for PARS assessment.
(b)	Victoria reported against one agency (Aboriginal Housing Victoria) under the ICH for 2007–08 and 2008–09. For 2009–10 Victoria is now reporting on an additional 18 agencies since assuming administrative responsibility for the former Community Housing and Infrastructure Program that was previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(c)	No. of ICHOs includes 16 Indigenous Councils and 11 ICHOs that transferred to Department of Communities. It also includes two unregistered providers that received emergency maintenance funding.
Total no. of dwellings includes property numbers provided by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in 2008 for unfunded organisations are not reliable and have not been verified. Number of improvised dwellings is not available.
No. of dwellings managed by funded ICHOs includes 21 dwellings managed by unregistered providers that received emergency maintenance funding (SAP at 30 June 2010).
No. of households in permanent dwellings is based on aggregate data supplied from two sources: Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30 June 2010) for eight tenancy-managed communities and Indigenous organisations' dwellings transitioned from Commonwealth; self-reported ‘Annexure 2a’ Quarterly Performance Reports for 26 communities.
No. of people is based on aggregate data supplied from two sources: Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30 June 2010) for 8 tenancy-managed communities; Property Condition and Tenant Survey 2006–07 for 26 communities. No household information is kept for dwellings owned by Indigenous organisations.
(d)	No. of ICHOs includes two state-managed service models, one community-based ICHO funded by the Dept. of Housing, and five regional service providers (Indigenous non-profit organisations providing housing management services across a number of communities) funded by the Dept. of Housing. Data on non-funded ICHOs are not kept.
No. of dwellings is an estimated number based on historical survey results. Data are not maintained for non-funded organisations.
Due to system transfers some occupied properties did not have household data available at 30 June 2010. These dwellings are presented as one household (with an unknown number of occupants).
No. of people may be incomplete due to some households changing housing management providers at the time of data collection.
(e)	Total no. of dwellings only reports dwellings identified during the 2008 and 2009 dwelling audits or dwellings recently built or upgraded. Dwelling numbers for eight ICHOs were sourced from historical records.
No. of permanent dwellings managed by funded ICHOs only reports dwellings identified during the 2008 and 2009 dwelling audits or dwellings recently built or upgraded. Dwelling numbers for four ICHOs were sourced from historical records.
Improvised dwellings are not recorded.
No. of bedrooms and number of people is based on data reported at time of tenancy audit (most during 2008, 2009).
(f)	No. of ICHOs includes one unfunded ICHO identified in historical records.
Dwelling numbers for one unfunded ICHO are based on historical records.
(g)	No. of ICHOs, no. of dwellings and no. of bedrooms are based on historical data.
(h)	For 2009–10, only limited administrative data has been collected on outstation dwellings. There have been no new constructions as per outstation policy. Organisations managing outstation communities received the same level of funding as in 2008–09.
Note: Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A3.3: Geographical distribution of mainstream CH and ICH dwellings
	NSW(a)	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Mainstream CH(b)		
Major cities	12,044	6,868	3,385	4,009	4,123	. .	680	. .	31,109	
Inner regional	4,482	1,986	1,604	716	404	828	2	. .	10,022	
Outer regional	1,446	345	1,538	740	222	372	. .	85	4,748	
Remote	28	15	272	441	60	19	. .	55	890	
Very remote	5	. .	399	135	4	0	. .	5	548	
Total	18,005	9,214	7,197	6,041	4,813	1,219	682	145	47,316	
ICH(c)		
Major cities	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	. .		. .	777	
Inner regional	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.		. .	2,233	
Outer regional	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.		184	3,996	
Total non-remote	3,407	469	2,396	238	228	84		184	7,006	
Remote	191	—	878	523	22	—		827	2,441	
Very remote	578	. .	2,956	2,701	685	50		5,437	12,407	
Total	4,176	469	6,230	3,462	935	134		6,448	21,854	
(a)	For ICH, NSW includes ACT.
(b)	Mainstream CH does not classify dwellings based on remoteness. The data count tenancy (rental) units (see Glossary).
(c)	Remoteness of dwellings is assumed to be the same as that of the organisation that manages them as no dwelling visits were undertaken. In most but not all cases, organisations have the same remoteness classification as their dwellings.
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10; ABS 2007c.

Table A3.4: Allocation and access in mainstream CH, by state and territory, 2009–10
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Total new households assisted	4,728	3,769	2,162	1,568	276	98	233	n.a.	12,834	
Indigenous access		
New Indigenous households assisted	392	362	214	148	14	n.p.	n.p.	n.a.	1,143	
Proportion of new households that are Indigenous (per cent)(a) 	8.3	9.6	9.9	9.4	5.1	n.p.	n.p.	n.a.	8.9	
Special needs		
No. of new allocations to households with special needs	3,458(b)	1,794	1,079	689	143	60	115	n.a.	7,338	
Proportion of new allocations to households with special needs (per cent)(a)	76.3	48.8	55.5	46.6	59.6	71.4	49.4	n.a.	60.2	
Greatest need		
No. of new allocations to those in greatest need	3,310	2,075	1,092	1,177	166	78	205	n.a.	8,103	
Proportion of new allocations to households in greatest need (per cent)(a)	70.0	55.1	50.5	75.1	60.1	79.6	88.0	n.a.	63.1	
(a)	Percentages have been calculated only where all relevant details are known.
(b)	Data are sourced from a multi-response survey question and a new household may fall into more than one ‘special needs’ category. Data have been adjusted for duplicates to ensure that ‘total new households with special needs’ corresponds with ‘total new households’.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A3.5: Workforce participation and employment of adults living in mainstream CH, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
	Proportion of adults(a)	
In the labour force		51.7	
Employed full-time	28.8		
Employed part-time	40.6		
Unemployed	30.6		
Total	100.0		
Not in the labour force		48.3	
Total		100.0	
(a)	These values are not comparable with those reported for the previous National Social Housing Survey cycle due to a change in methodology: workforce participation rates reported previously reflect only the circumstances of the person who completed the survey, whereas the current data report for all adult household members.
Source: AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey of mainstream CH tenants.
Table A3.6: Number of low-income mainstream CH households paying given proportions of their assessable income in rent, by state and territory, 2009–10
	NSW(a)	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
20% or less of assessable income in rent 	4,464	2,496	n.a.	453	412	112	54	n.a.	7,991	
More than 20% but not more than 25% of assessable income in rent	8,088	2,349	n.a.	330	2,578	15	172	n.a.	13,532	
More than 25% but not more than 30% of assessable income in rent	1,112	808	n.a.	289	401	17	59	n.a.	2,686	
More than 30% of assessable income in rent	2,019	1,441	n.a.	1,589	260	56	88	n.a.	5,453	
(a)	Affordability measures for NSW are captured through the jurisdiction’s own survey. To provide estimates for low-income households, receipt of Centrelink benefits as the main source of household income has been used a proxy.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A3.7: Occupancy and tenantability in mainstream CH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010(a)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT(b)	Aust	
Tenantability		
No. of tenantable tenancy (rental) units	17,744	8,473	7,095	3,756	4,651	610	468	145	42,942	
No. of untenantable tenancy (rental) units	154	368	102	103	81	8	2	0	818	
Total no. of tenancy (rental) units	18,466	8,841	7,197	3,859	4,732	618	470	145	44,328	
Occupancy		
No. of occupied tenancy (rental) units	18,233	8,262	6,855	3,561	4,464	589	450	145	42,559	
Occupancy rate (per cent)	98.7	93.5	95.2	92.3	94.3	95.3	95.7	100.0	96.0	
(a)	Data are reported where tenantability status or occupancy details are known.
(b)	It is assumed that all dwellings are occupied because many organisations are turning away people seeking accommodation.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A3.8: Occupancy in ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW(a)	Vic(b)	Qld(c)	WA(d)	SA(e)	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Occupancy		
No. of occupied permanent dwellings	* 2,021	* 1,508	4,261	1,839	873	46	n.a.	n.a.	* 10,548	
No. of dwellings for which occupancy is known	* 2,083	* 1,575	4,421	2,496	994	51	n.a.	n.a.	* 11,620	
Occupancy rate (per cent)	* 97.0	* 95.7	96.4	73.7	87.8	90.2	n.a.	n.a.	* 90.8	
(a)	No. of occupied dwellings refers to permanent dwellings owned or managed under headlease arrangements by Aboriginal housing organisations that are actively registered with the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office and provided data as at June 2010 (includes data from 18 organisations that are not actively registered in 2009 but eligible to participate in the NSW’s Provider Assessment and Registration System and provided data in 2010).
(b)	Victoria reported against one agency (Aboriginal Housing Victoria) under the ICH for 2007–08 and 2008–09. For 2009–10 Victoria reported on an additional 18 agencies since assuming administrative responsibility for the former Community Housing and Infrastructure Program that was previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(c)	No. of occupied dwellings is based on aggregate data supplied from two sources: Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30 June 2010) for eight tenancy-managed communities and Indigenous organisations’ dwellings transferred from the Commonwealth; self-reported ‘Annexure 2a’ Quarterly Performance Reports for 26 communities.
(d)	Some households were changing service providers at 30 June 2010 and dwellings were reported as unoccupied through this transition. The records are not identifiable for removal or correction.
(e)	Data are reported at time of tenancy audit (most during 2008 and 2009).
Note: Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A3.9: Match of dwelling to household size in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010
	NSW(a)	Vic(b)	Qld(c)	WA(d)	SA(e)	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
	Mainstream CH	
Overcrowding										
No. of households with overcrowding	427	246	n.a.	64	113	3	6	n.a.	859	
No. of Indigenous households living in overcrowded conditions	n.a.	31	n.a.	13	5	0	n.p.	n.a.	49	
Proportion of Indigenous households living in overcrowded conditions (per cent)	n.a.	3.8	n.a.	6.0	5.7	0.0	n.p.	n.a.	4.3	
Underutilisation										
Total households with underutilisation	1,823	2,320	n.a.	1,473	3,083	196	42	n.a.	8,937	
Total households occupying community housing for which household and tenancy (rental) unit details are known	16,943	7,345	n.a.	3,442	4,209	569	440	n.a.	32,948	
	ICH	
Overcrowding (two or more additional bedrooms required)	
No. of households for which overcrowding details are known	** 1,581	** 1,180	* 3,959	** 1,171	** 552	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
No. of households with overcrowding	n.a.	** 10	* 993	** 158	** 181	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
Proportion of households with overcrowding (per cent)	n.a.	** 0.8	* 25.1	** 13.5	** 32.8	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
Overcrowding (one or more additional bedrooms required)	
No. of households requiring additional bedrooms	n.a.	** 74	* 1,733	** 332	** 267	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
No. of additional bedrooms required	n.a.	** 84	* 3,403	** 614	** 753	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
Average no. of additional bedrooms required	n.a.	** 1.1	* 2.0	** 1.8	** 2.8	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	
(a)	For ICH, no. of households for which overcrowding details are known refers to dwellings that are occupied, have households and provided some dwellings details. However, some records were incomplete and some had quality issues. Remaining overcrowding data items are not available as a result of data quality issues.
(b)	For ICH, in 2009–10 Victoria reported on an additional 18 agencies for which it has assumed administrative responsibility and were previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(c)	For ICH, aggregate data were supplied from two sources: Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30 June 2010) for eight tenancy managed communities and the remaining 26 communities as reported by Property Condition and Tenant Survey 2006–07. Department of Communities Public Housing Entitlements used (see glossary) for calculations. Data covers the 4,119 dwellings in the Indigenous Councils only. No household information is kept for dwellings owned by Indigenous Organisations.
(d)	For ICH, a number of tenancies had limited person details known affecting reporting. This was particularly prevalent for date of birth.
(e)	For ICH, data is reported at time of tenancy audit (Majority during 2008, 2009).
Note: Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see symbol list for full interpretation).
Sources: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository, 2009–10.
Table A3.10: Base financial data for ICH ($’000), by state and territory, for year ending 30 June 2010
	NSW(a)	Vic(b)	Qld(dc	WA(d)	SA(e)	Tas	ACT	NT(f)	Aust	
Rent collected from households	* 10,832	* 10,422	* 13,832	4,276	**** 690	213	n.a.	** 2,782	* 43,047	
Rent charged to households	* 12,375	* 11,233	* 16,560	*** 5,350	n.a. 	220	n.a.	3,985	** 49,722	
Housing maintenance expenditure	* 19,310	* 7,823	15,705	8,161	3,235	86	n.a.	5,215	* 59,534	
Capital expenditure 	30,772	* 19,011	* 57,737	55,271	** 5,909	1,532	n.a.	n.a.	** 170,232	
Total recurrent costs	36,260	* 18,512	* 18,450	17,096	3,726	551	n.a.	n.a.	* 94,594	
Net recurrent costs	31,254	* 14,160	* 18,450	17,096	3,726	551	n.a.	n.a.	* 85,237	
(a)	For rent collected, rent charged and housing maintenance expenditure unit record data was aggregated. However, in cases where unit record data was unavailable, organisation level data was used.
Capital expenditure is AHO capital expenditure on the Aboriginal housing sector. It excludes capital expenditure by Aboriginal housing providers as only a few provided valid data.
Total recurrent cost is only AHO recurrent expenses on the Aboriginal community housing sector and excludes expenses by Aboriginal housing providers as this was not available.
Net recurrent cost is only AHO net recurrent costs on the Aboriginal community housing sector. Data on net recurrent costs of housing organisations was not available.
(b)	Victoria has reported against one agency (Aboriginal Housing Victoria) under the ICH for 2007–08 and 2008–09. For 2009–10 Victoria is reporting on an additional 18 agencies since assuming administrative responsibility for the former Community Housing and Infrastructure Program (CHIP) that was previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(c)	Rent collected and rent charged are supplied from two sources: Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30/06/10); "Annexure 2a" Quarterly Performance Report for remaining Councils. June quarter data not available for three Councils. Information is for the 4,119 dwellings in the Indigenous Councils only. No rent is collected or charged from the 302 dwellings owned by Indigenous Organisations.
Housing maintenance, capital expenditure, total recurrent cost and net recurrent cost are supplied from Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30/06/10).
(d)	Rent collected, rent charged, housing maintenance, net and total recurrent costs include 18 improvised dwellings.
Rent collected and housing maintenance data was incomplete for dwellings managed by one ICHO and those dwellings managed by WA Dept. of Housing under two State Managed Service Models.
Capital expenditure data are aggregate as unit record data was not available.
Net recurrent cost and total recurrent costs are the same as data on exclusions is not held, with the exception of Grants and Subsidies which were the principal method of payment for maintenance services to housing.
(e)	Rent collected is not available for all organisations and six organisations have only reported six months of data.
Maintenance expenditure for two ICHOs is coordinated by Housing SA, paid from NPARIH.
Total recurrent costs are not available for all organisations and six organisations have only reported six months of data. Total recurrent costs include repairs and maintenance and community administration expenses reported in the six monthly acquittals of grant funding.
‘Net recurrent costs’ is assumed to be the same as ‘total recurrent costs’. Calculation for net recurrent cost per dwelling excluded six ICHOs for which only 6 months recurrent costs data were available.
(f)	‘Rent collected’ is based on data provided by 23 of the 30 organisations.
Target rent charged is based on approximately $60–$100 per fortnight. Old methodology used was $60 per dwelling built before 1998 and $100 for dwelling built after 1998.
Housing maintenance value provided is a contribution towards community dwellings for housing maintenance. Organisations managing outstation communities received the same level of funding as in 2008–09.
Note: Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A3.11: Rent charged and collected in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, for year ending 30 June 2010 ($’000)
	NSW(a)	Vic(b)	Qld(c)	WA(d)	SA(e)	Tas	ACT	NT(f)	Aust	
Mainstream CH										
Rents charged for week of 30 June 2010	2,408.2	797.3	205.0	382.9	471.7	25.7	34.6	7.9	4,333.3	
Total rent charged to tenants 	95,157.0	51,030.3	31,818.5	16,334.8	26,713.6	2,522.7	2,528.0	n.a.	226,104.9	
Total rent collected from tenants 	98,552.6	51,470.9	32,144.9	16,535.4	26,640.4	2,529.0	2,637.5	n.a.	230,510.7	
Rent collection rate (per cent)	96.6	99.1	99.0	98.8	100.3	99.7	95.8	n.a.	98.1	
ICH										
Rent collected from households where both rent collected and charged is known 	* 10,591	* 10,363	* 13,832	**** 3,608	**** 0	213	n.a.	** 2,782	** 41,389	
Rent charged to households where both rent collected and charged is known 	* 11,722	* 11,233	* 16,560	**** 4,259	**** 0	220	n.a.	** 2,972	** 46,964	
Rent collection rate (per cent)	* 90.3	* 92.3	* 83.5	**** 84.7	n.a. 	97.0	n.a.	** 93.6	** 88.1	
(a)	For ICH, unit record data were used to aggregate rent collected and rent charged. However, in cases where unit record data were unavailable, organisation-level data were used.
(b)	For ICH, Victoria reported against one agency (Aboriginal Housing Victoria) under the ICH for 2007–08 and 2008–09. For 2009–10 Victoria reported on an additional 18 agencies since assuming administrative responsibility for the former Community Housing and Infrastructure Program that was previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(c)	For ICH, ‘rent collected’ and ‘rent charged’ are supplied from two sources: Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30 June 2010); ‘Annexure 2a’ Quarterly Performance Report for remaining councils. June quarter data were not available for three councils. Information is for the 4,119 dwellings in the Indigenous councils only. No rent is collected or charged from the 302 dwellings owned by Indigenous organisations.
(d)	For ICH, ‘rent collected’ and ‘rent charged’ includes 18 improvised dwellings. ‘Rent collected’ data were incomplete for dwellings managed by one ICHO and those dwellings managed by WA Dept. of Housing under two state-managed service models.
(e)	For ICH, ‘rent collected’ was not available for all organisations and six organisations have only reported 6 months of data.
(f)	For ICH, ‘rent collected’ is based on data provided by 23 of the 30 organisations. Target rent charged is based on approximately $60–$100 per fortnight. Old methodology used was $60 per dwelling built before 1998 and $100 for dwelling built after 1998.
Note: Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A3.12: Net recurrent costs per rental unit or dwelling in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory ($)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Mainstream CH 
2008–09(a)	9,299	9,008(b)	4,962	7,870(c)	7,294(d)	16,835(e)	7,248(f)	n.a.	8,289	
ICH 2009–10	14,226(g)	* 8,991(h)	* 4,479	6,800(i)	* 3,967(j)	10,812	n.a.	n.a.	* 7,491	
(a)	Data are presented in real dollars based on the ABS Gross Domestic Product price deflator (index) using 2008–09 as the base year.
Provider net recurrent costs for Vic, WA, SA, Tas and ACT have been weighted up to reflect the total number of tenancy (rental) units.
(b)	Unadjusted provider net recurrent costs of $56,483,355 represented 8,221 tenancy (rental) units.
(c)	Unadjusted provider net recurrent costs of $22,822,806 represented 3,089 tenancy (rental) units.
(d)	Coherence over time has been affected as previous years’ costs have not included any jurisdiction costs associated with administering community housing. Net recurrent costs are sourced from jurisdiction administrative systems.
(e)	Costs for three organisations have been excluded due to erroneous information. The remaining provider net recurrent costs ($4,870,034) were sourced from survey data and represented 367 tenancy (rental) units at 30 June 2009. These costs have been weighted up to reflect the total number of tenancy (rental) units.
(f)	Unadjusted provider net recurrent costs of $2,672,408 represented 567 tenancy (rental) units. Grants and subsidies paid to community housing organisations for tenancy management, as part of jurisdiction administrative costs, may also be reported as community housing organisation expenditure. Administrator costs do not include property costs met by government for boarding houses and properties leased by government to the sector.
(g)	‘Net recurrent costs’ is only the Aboriginal Housing Office’s net recurrent costs on the Aboriginal community housing sector. Data on net recurrent costs of housing organisations were not available.
(h)	Victoria reported against one agency (Aboriginal Housing Victoria) under the ICH for 2007–08 and 2008–09. For 2009–10 Victoria reported on an additional 18 agencies since assuming administrative responsibility for the former Community Housing and Infrastructure Program that was previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(i)	‘Net recurrent costs’ and ‘total recurrent costs’ are the same as data on exclusions are not held, with the exception of grants and subsidies that were the principal method of payment for maintenance services to housing.
(j)	‘Net recurrent costs’ are assumed to be the same as ‘total recurrent costs’. Recurrent costs are not available for all organisations and six organisations have only reported 6 months of data. Recurrent costs include repairs and maintenance and community administration expenses reported in the 6-monthly acquittals of grant funding.
‘Net recurrent cost per unit’ calculation excludes six ICHOs for which only 6 months rent data were available.
Note: Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A3.13: Maintenance expenditure for ICH, by jurisdiction, 2008–09 and 2009–10 ($’000)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	AG	Aust	
2008–09(a)	11,084(b)	2,062	14,974	12,796	1,805(c)	. .	n.a.(d)	5,948(e)	2,415(f)	51,084	
2009–10	* 19,310(g)	* 7,823(h)	15,705	8,161(i)	3,235(j)	86	n.a.	5,215(k)	. .	* 59,534	
AG	Australian Government
(a)	Data within jurisdictions may not be comparable between years due to changes in scope and variations in the ICHOs that respond to the survey or for which jurisdictions can provide data. Data may not be comparable across jurisdictions because of considerable variation in the way ICH operates in each jurisdiction. Further, organisation and household information may vary considerably because of the policy and program environment and the nature of the sector.
Before 2009–10, funding and administration for a portion of the ICH sector in Qld and Vic and the entire ICH sector in Tas was managed by the Australian Government. Data for these dwellings were reported separately from data for dwellings managed by the respective state governments by including a ninth jurisdiction, AG, in state-based tables.
(b)	Comprises only Aboriginal Housing Office expenditure on the sector through the repair and maintenance program. Housing maintenance expenditure by ICHOs is not available.
(c)	Housing maintenance expenditure for 10 organisations is for the June to December 2008 portion of the financial period.
(d)	Maintenance costs for 18 dwellings under lease to ICH in the ACT are met by government. Maintenance costs for the remaining dwellings were met by the ICHO but were not available for reporting.
(e)	Number is based on data provided by 29 of the 30 organisations.
(f)	Victorian data are based on survey returns from 13 out of 22 ICHOs in the jurisdiction; Tasmanian data are for one ICHO only.
(g)	For housing maintenance expenditure unit record data were aggregated. However, in cases where unit record data were unavailable, organisation-level data were used.
(h)	Victoria reported against one agency (Aboriginal Housing Victoria) under the ICH for 2007–08 and 2008–09. For 2009–10 Victoria reported on an additional 18 agencies since assuming administrative responsibility for the former Community Housing and Infrastructure Program that was previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(i)	Includes 18 improvised dwellings. Incomplete data were available for dwellings managed by one ICHO and those dwellings managed by WA Dept. of Housing under two state-managed srvice models.
(j)	Maintenance expenditure for two ICHOs coordinated by Housing SA, paid from NPARIH.
(k)	Value provided is a contribution towards community dwellings for housing maintenance. Organisations managing outstation communities received the same level of funding as in 2008–09.
Note: Symbols against ICH 2009–10 data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation). Coverage for 2008–09 data are not available.
Sources: AIHW 2010d; AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A3.14: Selected financial performance indicators for ICH, by state and territory, for 2009–10
	NSW(a)	Vic(b)	Qld(c)	WA(d)	SA(e)	Tas	ACT	NT(f)	Aust	
Average weekly rent collected	
Rent collected from households ($’000)	* 10,832	* 10,422	* 13,832	**** 3,608	**** 592	213	n.a.	** 2,782	** 42,281	
No. of households for which rent collected is known 	* 1,916	* 1,521	* 4,119	**** 1,165	**** 400	46	n.a.	** 1,555	** 10,722	
Average weekly rent collected ($)	* 109	* 132	* 65	**** 60	**** 28	89	n.a.	** 34	** 76	
Average amount spent on maintenance each year	
Housing maintenance expenditure ($’000)	* 17,764	* 7,823	15,705	**** 6,580	3,235	86	n.a.	5,215	* 56,406	
No. of dwellings for which maintenance expenditure is known 	* 1,987	* 1,575	4,260	**** 1,165	979	51	n.a.	2,043	* 12,060	
Average amount spent on maintenance ($)	* 8,940	* 4,967	3,687	**** 5,648	3,304	1,682	n.a.	2,553	* 4,677	
Maintenance expenditure as a proportion of rent collected	
Housing maintenance expenditure where both rent collected and maintenance expenditure is known ($’000)	* 17,764	* 7,823	* 15,551	**** 6,580	**** 1,336	86	n.a.	** 3,915	** 53,053	
Rent collected from households where both rent collected and maintenance expenditure is known ($’000)	* 10,700	* 10,422	* 13,832	**** 3,608	**** 592	213	n.a.	** 2,782	** 42,149	
Maintenance expenditure as a proportion of rent collected (per cent)	* 166.0	* 75.1	* 112.4	**** 182.4	**** 225.6	40.3	n.a.	** 140.7	** 125.9	
Recurrent to capital expenditure	
Total recurrent costs where both capital expenditure and total recurrent costs are known ($’000)	36,260	* 18,512	* 18,450	17,096	** 2,852	551	n.a.	n.a.	** 93,720	
Capital expenditure where both capital expenditure and total recurrent costs are known ($’000)	30,772	* 19,011	* 57,737	55,271	** 5,504	1,532	n.a.	n.a.	** 169,827	
Recurrent to capital expenditure	1.18	* 0.97	* 0.32	0.31	** 0.52	0.36	n.a.	n.a.	** 0.55	
(continued)
Table A3.14 (continued): Selected financial performance indicators for ICH, by state and territory, for 2009–10
	NSW(a)	Vic(b)	Qld(c)	WA(d)	SA(e)	Tas	ACT	NT(f)	Aust	
Net recurrent cost per unit	
Net recurrent costs ($’000)	31,254	* 14,160	* 18,450	17,096	* 3,586	551	n.a.	n.a.	* 85,097	
No. of permanent dwellings managed by funded/actively registered ICHOs for which net recurrent costs are known	2,197	* 1,575	* 4,119	2,514	* 904	51	n.a.	n.a.	* 11,360	
Net recurrent cost per unit	14,226	* 8,991	* 4,479	6,800	* 3,967	10,812	n.a.	n.a.	* 7,491	
(a)	For ‘rent collected’ and ‘housing maintenance expenditure’, unit record data were aggregated. However, in cases where unit record data were unavailable, organisation-level data were used.
No. of households for which rent collection is known is calculated based on dwellings rather than households.
‘Capital expenditure’ is NSW Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) capital expenditure on the Aboriginal housing sector. It excludes capital expenditure by Aboriginal housing providers as only a few provided valid data.
‘Total recurrent costs’ is only AHO recurrent expenses on the Aboriginal community housing sector and excludes expenses by Aboriginal housing providers as this was not available.
Both ‘total recurrent costs’ and ‘net recurrent costs’ are only AHO recurrent expenses on the Aboriginal community housing sector. Expenses by Aboriginal housing providers were not available.
(b)	Victoria reported against one agency (Aboriginal Housing Victoria) under the ICH for 2007–08 and 2008–9. For 2009–10 Victoria reported on an additional 18 agencies since assuming administrative responsibility for the former Community Housing and Infrastructure Program that was previously managed by the Commonwealth. For this reason, data are not comparable with previous years.
(c)	‘Rent collected’ is supplied from two sources: Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30 June 2010); ‘Annexure 2a’ Quarterly Performance Report for remaining councils. June quarter data were not available for three councils. Information is for the 4,119 dwellings in the Indigenous councils only. No rent is collected from the 302 dwellings owned by Indigenous organisations.
‘Housing maintenance’, ‘capital expenditure’, ‘total recurrent costs’ and ‘net recurrent costs’ were supplied from Queensland Dept. of Housing’s internal administrative system (SAP at 30 June 2010).
(d)	Values for ‘rent collected’, ‘housing maintenance’ and ‘total recurrent costs’ includes 18 improvised dwellings.
Calculations for ‘average weekly rent collected’, ‘average amount spent on maintenance each year’ and ‘maintenance expenditure as a proportion of rent collected’ exclude dwellings managed by one ICHO and those managed by WA Dept. of Housing under two different state-managed service models.
Capital expenditure data are aggregate as unit record data were not available.
(e)	‘Rent collected’ is not available for all organisations and six organisations have only reported 6 months of data.
‘Average weekly rent collected’ calculation excludes six ICHOs for which only 6 months’ rent data were available. Number of permanent dwellings was used to determine average rent instead of households.
‘Maintenance expenditure’ for two ICHOs coordinated by Housing SA, paid from NPARIH.
‘Maintenance expenditure as a proportion of rent collected’ calculation excludes six ICHOs for which only 6 months’ rent data were available.
‘Total recurrent costs’ was not available for all organisations and six organisations have only reported 6 months of data. ‘Total recurrent costs’ include repairs and maintenance and community administration expenses reported in the 6-monthly acquittals of grant funding.
‘Recurrent to capital expenditure’ ratio calculation excludes six ICHOs for which recurrent costs data were only available for 6 months.
‘Net recurrent costs’ is assumed to be the same as ‘total recurrent costs’.
‘Net recurrent cost per unit’ calculation excludes six ICHOs for which only 6 months’ rent data were available.
(f)	‘Rent collected’ is based on data provided by 23 of the 30 organisations.
‘Housing maintenance’ value provided is a contribution towards community dwellings for housing maintenance. Organisations managing outstation communities received the same level of funding as in 2008–09.
Note: Symbols against ICH data indicate incomplete coverage (see Symbols for full interpretation).
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.

Table A3.15: Tenants’ satisfaction in mainstream CH, by state and territory, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Sample size(a)	912	484	1,415	507	446	228	103	n.a.	3,992	
Satisfied (per cent)	42.4	39.9	41.7	38.7	37.2	42.1	28.0	n.a.	41.0	
Very satisfied (per cent)	34.3	39.3	39.7	40.0	47.1	48.3	50.0	n.a.	38.1	
(a)	Includes only households that responded to this question.
Source: AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey of mainstream CH tenants.
Table A3.16: Mainstream CH tenants’ rating of amenity aspects as important and meeting needs, by amenity aspect, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Sample size (no.)	934	497	1,448	518	455	238	103	n.a.	4,090	
Size of dwelling 	88.4	83.7	82.0	86.0	87.2	94.5	88.0	n.a.	86.4	
Modifications for special needs 	72.6	77.9	83.2	77.9	81.6	90.2	100.0	n.a.	76.9	
Ease of access and entry	88.4	92.7	92.4	91.3	94.1	93.6	99.0	n.a.	90.8	
Car parking	83.7	85.1	75.3	87.0	90.2	91.1	86.0	n.a.	84.1	
Yard space and fencing	81.2	85.7	81.7	88.1	84.9	82.7	96.0	n.a.	83.2	
Privacy of home 	84.4	87.2	82.0	83.4	87.1	92.8	80.0	n.a.	85.1	
Safety/security of home	83.2	84.2	84.8	80.9	82.8	92.3	73.0	n.a.	83.6	
Average	83.1	85.2	83.1	84.9	86.9	91.0	88.9	n.a.	84.3	
Source: AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey of mainstream CH tenants.
Table A3.17: Mainstream CH tenants’ rating of location aspects as important and meeting needs, by location aspect, Aug–Sept 2010 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aust	
Sample size (no.)	934	497	1,448	518	455	238	103	n.a.	4,090	
Shops and banking 	91.8	94.5	90.3	90.4	93.2	95.7	100.0	n.a.	92.3	
Public transport 	90.7	90.6	88.2	93.0	85.8	92.1	100.0	n.a.	90.4	
Parks and recreational facilities 	90.8	93.6	90.8	91.9	89.7	94.9	100.0	n.a.	91.5	
Emergency services, medical services, hospitals 	89.6	91.6	90.2	86.3	91.8	94.9	100.0	n.a.	90.3	
Child care facilities 	88.3	83.8	87.7	88.6	88.4	100.0	100.0	n.a.	87.3	
Education/training facilities 	87.2	88.0	87.5	82.0	87.9	96.6	94.0	n.a.	87.4	
Employment/place of work 	84.3	88.2	82.7	86.0	84.3	95.5	94.0	n.a.	85.3	
Community and support services 	86.1	91.7	87.6	89.3	90.1	94.7	100.0	n.a.	88.4	
Family and friends 	85.4	88.0	86.2	87.0	88.0	93.0	84.0	n.a.	86.6	
Safety/security of neighbourhood 	82.1	87.3	81.2	81.3	86.1	87.6	73.0	n.a.	83.6	
Average	87.6	89.7	87.2	87.6	88.5	94.5	94.5	n.a.	88.3	
Source: AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey of mainstream CH tenants.
A.4	Housing assistance in the private sector
Table A4.1: Proportion of income units in rental stress before and after CRA, by income unit type, June 2010 (per cent)
	Proportion of income units in rental stress	No. of income units	
Income unit type	before CRA	after CRA		
Single, no children(a)	83.3	47.8	557,622	
Single, with children	63.3	36.6	242,673	
Partnered, no children	59.8	36.9	96,111	
Partnered, with children(b)	43.3	26.1	180,355	
Total	70.0	40.7	1,076,761(c)	
(a)	‘Single, no children’ includes single people in shared accommodation.
(b)	‘Partnered, with children’ includes couple income units who were identified as temporarily separated or separated because of illness.
(c)	Total no. of CRA recipients does not correspond to Table 4.1 as it excludes records with incomplete or inadequately described income unit data.
Source: AIHW analysis of Australian Government Housing Data Set, June 2010.
Table A4.2: Average amount of private rent assistance received, by type of assistance, 2009–10
	Total value of assistance ($m)	Number of grants/recipients	Average value ($)	
Bond loans	65.8	73,440	896 	
Rental grants, subsidies and relief	21.7	64,357	337 	
Relocation expenses	0.5	1,568	319 	
Other	17.1	15,070	1,135 	
Total	105.1	154,435	681 	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository, 2009–10.
Table A4.3: Average amount of home purchase assistance received, by type of assistance, 2009–10
	Total value of assistance ($m)	Number of grants/recipients	Average value ($)	
Direct lending	2,052.6	39,686	51,721 	
Deposit assistance	0.1	40	2,500 	
Interest rate assistance	13.4	3,084	4,345 	
Mortgage relief	0.5	618	809 	
Home purchase advisory and counselling services	. .	. .	. .	
Other	1.7	782	2,174 	
Total	2,068.3	44,210	46,784 	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository, 2009–10.
A.5	Housing assistance for special needs groups
Table A5.1: Proportion of Australian households in each tenure type, by Indigenous status, 2006 (per cent)
	Indigenous	Non-Indigenous	
Fully owned	11.0	34.6	
Being purchased	23.2	34.4	
Private renter	18.7	14.2	
State or territory housing authority	20.0	3.9	
Indigenous and mainstream community housing	8.9	0.5	
Other renter(a)	12.5	8.8	
Other tenure/not stated (b)	5.6	3.7	
Total(c)	100.0	100.0	
(a)	Includes ‘rented—person not in same household’, ‘rented—other landlord type’ and ‘rented—landlord type not stated’.
(b)	Includes ‘other tenure type’ and ‘tenure type not stated’.
(c)	Totals may not add due to rounding.
Source: ABS 2007a.
Table A5.2: Tenure type for Indigenous households, by remoteness, 2006 (per cent)
	Major cities	Inner and
outer regional	Remote and
very remote	
All	
	Number	
Fully owned/being purchased	24,335	28,635	4,030	57,000	
State or territory housing authority	14,110	14,828	4,456	33,394	
Community housing/housing cooperative	1,262	3,852	9,760	14,874	
Other renters	23,340	24,721	4,078	52,139	
Other tenure type(a)	3,285	3,961	2,016	9,262	
Total	66,332	75,997	24,340	166,669	
	Per cent	
Fully owned/being purchased	36.7	37.7	16.6	34.2	
State or territory housing authority	21.3	19.5	18.3	20.0	
Community housing/housing cooperative	1.9	5.1	40.1	8.9	
Other renters	35.2	32.5	16.8	31.3	
Other tenure type(a)	5.0	5.2	8.3	5.6	
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	
(a)	Includes tenure type ‘not stated’.
Note: Remoteness categories are based on the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ABS 2007b).
Source: ABS 2007a.
Table A5.3: Proportion of household members, by housing assistance program and age group, June 2010 (per cent)
	Proportion of household members	
	Under 18 years	18 to 24 years	25 years and older	Total	
Public rental housing	29.0	7.9	63.1	100.0	
SOMIH	49.4	8.5	42.1	100.0	
CRA	54.8	5.7	39.5	100.0	
Source: AIHW analysis of Australian Government Housing Data Set, June 2010; AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A5.4: Ages of young people in the same public rental housing or SOMIH household since birth, 2009–10
	0–4 years	5–9 years	10–14 years	15–19 years	20–24 years	Total	
	Number	
Public rental housing	19,421	10,423	6,682	4,128	1,295	41,949	
SOMIH	1,705	938	602	275	63	3,583	
	Per cent	
Public rental housing 	46.3	24.9	15.9	9.8	3.1	100.0	
SOMIH 	47.6	26.2	16.8	7.7	1.8	100.0	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
Table A5.5: ‘Greatest need’ reason for newly allocated households with a member with a disability in public rental housing and SOMIH, 2009–10
	Public rental housing	SOMIH		Public rental housing	SOMIH	
‘Greatest need’ reason	Number		Per cent	
Homeless	2,951	72		44.2	41.6	
Health condition aggravated by housing	1,662	30		24.9	17.3	
Life or safety at risk in accommodation	518	16		7.8	9.2	
Very high housing costs	419	16		6.3	9.2	
Housing inappropriate to needs	344	9		5.2	5.2	
Other	516	30		7.7	17.3	
Not stated/inadequately described	260	0		3.9	0.0	
Total	6,670	173		100.0	100.0	
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
A.6	Data quality and scope
Scope
For the most part, the data presented in this report are for the first complete year of the NAHA, 2009–10. Data are presented for those housing assistance programs summarised in Figure 1.5 for which data are held by the AIHW. Specifically, this includes:
•	public rental housing
•	state owned and managed Indigenous housing
•	mainstream community housing
•	Indigenous community housing
•	Commonwealth Rent Assistance
•	Private Rent Assistance
•	Home Purchase Assistance.
Data for the social housing programs listed above exclude those relating to 4,631 social housing dwellings in Very remote areas of the Northern Territory managed by the Northern Territory Government (NT 2011). Of these, 4,096 dwelling were transferred from the ICH program in 2008–09. These dwellings are included in the total social housing dwelling count (Figure 2.2) under the category Northern Territory Remote Community Housing but do not feature elsewhere in this report as more detailed information for these dwellings is not yet available.
Also, the report does not discuss assistance provided by specialist homelessness services, including crisis accommodation, other than that provided within the context of the above programs. Data on specialist homelessness services can be found in the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program national data reports (AIHW 2010d).
Data quality
A number of factors limit the overall capacity for analysis and reporting. Caveats and footnotes are provided where appropriate to outline data quality issues that may affect interpretation. The following provides an overview of the key quality issues for the social housing data collections and the effects these have on interpretation of data in this report.
Public rental housing and SOMIH data
Public rental housing and SOMIH data are substantially complete, comprehensive and comparable, and provide good coverage of dwellings and households at the unit record level. There are some known data quality issues with the administrative data sources used for reporting under the public rental housing and SOMIH data collections, as follows:
•	Care is required when comparing outputs among states and territories as differences in the data collected, as well as differences in which records are included or excluded from a calculation, can affect the comparability of the outputs. Where these issues are significant they are discussed in footnotes and/or the main text.
•	Comparability over time has been affected by changes in the measurement of low income and overcrowding, and therefore these measures should not be compared with previous years.
•	Not all states and territories capture all data items so use of a proxy is required to calculate some outputs of this collection. For example, not all jurisdictions supply gross income and assessable income. Where one is not available the other is used in its place. Also, disability status is derived using the receipt of a disability pension as a proxy in some states and territories.
•	Many states and territories do not update income information for households that pay full market rent. Where household income estimates underestimate the true value, an overestimation of the number of households that are in rental stress will result, and vice versa. It is unknown how many, and to what degree, the estimates are affected, and therefore outputs produced using data from these households, including rental stress, should be used with caution.
Mainstream community housing data
All household-level data and some organisation- and dwelling-level data variables in mainstream CH are obtained by jurisdictions through annual survey of their community housing organisations. Survey response rates in 2009–10 varied from 45% of community housing organisations in Tasmania (43% of total Tasmanian dwellings) through to 93% of community housing organisations and 98% of dwellings in South Australia (Table A6.1). Coverage of data is therefore not comprehensive.
Table A6.1: Mainstream CH survey response rates, 2009–10 (per cent)
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	
Organisation response rate	23	64	52(a)	24	93	45	80	. .	
Dwelling portfolio coverage	95	96	78(a)	63	98	43	73	. .	
(a)	Response rate was supplied by jurisdiction as Queensland collected unit record data but supplied final reported figures in aggregated form.
Note: New South Wales and Queensland weight survey results to account for non-response.
Source: AIHW analysis of National Housing Assistance Data Repository 2009–10.
In the mainstream CH data collection, some jurisdictions collect and/or report household-level data for community housing organisations in aggregate form rather than unit record data (data for individual households). Aggregate data may differ in scope and definition from unit record data and have not been quality checked. This potentially affects the comparability of the data but is not able to be quantified. In the 2009–10 collection, the following jursidictions provided aggregate data for households:
•	New South Wales collected and reported aggregate data
•	Queensland collected unit record data but reported aggregated data.
Indigenous community housing data
The ICH sector is undergoing a number of major reforms, some of which affect the quality, scope and comparability of data reported in this publication. The main changes to note are:
•	The 2009–10 ICH data collection includes dwellings that are owned by Indigenous communities, but that have had their tenancy management transferred to a state government (Queensland and Western Australia). These dwellings are no longer in scope for the ICH collection but have been included this year as they have not been reported elsewhere.
•	Previously, the Australian Government directly funded some ICHOs in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania. Data for these dwellings were reported collectively under the jurisdiction ‘Australian Government’. Responsibility for these ICHOs transferred to respective state governments in 2009–10 and data for these dwellings are now reported under the relevant state.
•	For reasons of data quality, the scope of the ICH collection in 2009–10 was restricted to funded organisations (that is, ICHOs that received funding in the 2009–10 financial year). For unfunded organisations (that is, ICHOs that received funding in previous financial years but not in 2009–10), only ICHO and dwelling numbers are reported.
•	In New South Wales, the ICHO sector focuses on whether ICHOs are actively with the Aboriginal Housing Office or not. For the purposes of this collection, active registration is used as a proxy for funding, but it should be noted that active registration does not guarantee funding.
The ICH collection also has significant quality issues, which mean that caution should be used when comparing data across or between jurisdictions. The main issues include:
•	Jurisdictions used different data sources for reporting, including administrative records, dwelling audits and surveys. Data may therefore show variations in coverage, definition, timeliness and overall quality.
•	South Australia and Tasmania provided unit record-level data for reporting all data items (that is, individual organisations, dwellings and persons); however, the data were largely collected in 2008 and 2009.
•	In 2009–10, the Australian Capital Territory was only able to provide a very limited amount of data, based on historical records. For the Northern Territory, only limited data were collected on dwellings located in outstations.
•	Other states provided a mix of aggregate and unit record data. Aggregate data come from jurisdictions’ own data systems and may show variations in scope and/or definition from unit record data.
In many cases complete data were not available for all dwellings or ICHOs in the state or territory. This means that data item totals and performance indicators may not be representative of the entire funded portion of the jurisdiction. The following should be noted:
•	Proportions have been adjusted for non-response (by excluding unknowns and non-responders from the denominator). However, there is no guarantee that non-responders share the same characteristics as the responding portion of the jurisdiction.
•	For incomplete data, symbols are used in the tables to indicate the proportion of dwellings in the sector for which data are known (see Symbols).
•	In several instances where current data were not available, states and territories have provided historical data. This is noted in the footnotes.
National Social Housing Survey data
The 2010 National Social Housing Survey data were collected through postal and online questionnaires from a randomly selected sample of public rental housing and mainstream CH tenants in August and September, 2010. The tenants completing the questionnaires were from all jurisdictions, except those in the ACT who completed a survey administered by their jurisdiction. The following should be considered when interpreting the survey data:
•	ACT data (where reported) were sourced from 2010 Customer Satisfaction Survey (conducted by TNS Social Research on behalf of the jurisdiction). Results for the ACT should be treated with caution as data comparability and survey methodology differ from the National Social Housing Survey; ACT data have been included in those tables that are required for the Report on government services but have been excluded from other tables because of concerns about the comparability of data.
When making comparisons between programs and/or jurisdictions, note that survey data are subject to sampling and non-sampling error.
•	Survey weights are applied to the data when calculating outputs and performance indicators.
•	The overall response rate for the public housing component of the National Social Housing Survey was 40%. The response rates for public housing by jurisdiction ranged from 25% to 53% (AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey).
•	The overall response rate for the mainstream CH component of the National Social Housing Survey was 36%. Response rates across the jurisdictions varied from 31% to 49% (AIHW analysis of 2010 National Social Housing Survey).
Glossary
Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS)
A measure of the appropriateness of housing that is sensitive to both household size and composition. The CNOS specifies that:
•	no more than two people shall share a bedroom
•	parents or couples may share a bedroom
•	children under 5 years, either of the same sex or opposite sex, may share a bedroom
•	children under 18 years of the same sex may share a bedroom
•	a child aged 5 to 17 years should not share a bedroom with a child under 5 of the opposite sex
•	single adults 18 years and over and any unpaired children require a separate bedroom.
Community housing (mainstream)
Mainstream community housing is provided for low- to moderate-income or special needs households and is managed by community-based organisations. Community housing models vary across jurisdictions and housing stock is owned by a variety of groups including government.
Disability
The umbrella term for any or all of an impairment of body structure or function, a limitation in activities, or a restriction in participation. Disability is a multidimensional and complex concept, and is conceived as a dynamic interaction between health conditions and environmental and personal factors (WHO 2001).
In social housing, a proxy for a household meeting the above definition of disability may be provided through receipt of the Disability Support Pension.
Dwelling
A structure or a discrete space within a structure intended for people to live in or where a person or group of people live. Thus a structure that people actually live in is a dwelling regardless of its intended purpose, but a vacant structure is only a dwelling if intended for human residence. A dwelling may include one or more rooms used as an office or workshop, provided the dwelling is in residential use. Dwelling types include:
•	a separate house
•	a semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse, etc.
•	a flat, unit or apartment; caravan, tent, cabin etc. either in or not in a caravan park, houseboat in marina, etc.
•	an improvised home, tent, camper
•	a house or flat attached to a shop, office, etc.
•	a boarding/rooming house unit.
Greatest need
A low-income household is seen to be in greatest need if at the time of allocation they 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.
Homeless
A person is homeless if he or she does not have access to safe, secure and adequate housing. Unsafe, insecure and inadequate housing includes housing:
•	in which the client does not feel safe (this can include the client’s own home)
•	in which the client does not have a legal right to continued occupation (security of tenure)
•	that lacks the amenities or resources necessary for living (such as adequate heating, plumbing or cooking facilities)
•	that is provided by a Supported Accommodation Assistance Program agency of other emergency accommodation agency.
Three categories of homelessness are defined as below:
•	Primary homelessness includes all people without conventional accommodation, such as people living on the streets, sleeping in parks, squatting in derelict buildings, or using cars or railway carriages for temporary shelter.
•	Secondary homelessness includes people who move frequently from one form of temporary shelter to another. On Census night, it includes all people staying in emergency or transitional accommodation provided under the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program. Secondary homelessness also includes people residing temporarily with other households because they have no accommodation of their own and people staying in boarding houses on a short-term basis, operationally defined as 12 weeks or less.
•	Tertiary homelessness refers to people who live in boarding houses on a medium- to long-term basis, operationally defined as 13 weeks or longer. They are homeless because their accommodation situation is below the minimum community standard of a small self-contained flat (ABS 2008a).
Household
A group of two or more related or unrelated people who usually reside in the same dwelling, and who make common provision for food or other essentials for living. A household can also be single person living in a dwelling who makes provision for his or her own food and other essentials for living, without combining with any other person.
Income unit
A single person or couple, with or without dependent children.
Indigenous community housing (ICH)
Housing owned and/or managed by Indigenous communities for the provision of housing services to Indigenous people. See also Section 1.5.
Indigenous community housing organisation (ICHO)
An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander organisation responsible for managing housing for Indigenous people, including community organisations such as resource agencies and land councils. ICHOs may either own the dwellings they manage or lease them from a state housing authority.
Indigenous household
A household as defined above which contains one or more Indigenous people.
Low-income household
A household whose equivalised gross income falls in the bottom two-fifths (40%) of the population.
Outstations (also known as homelands)
Outstations (homelands) are located on Aboriginal ancestral lands with cultural and spiritual significance to the Aboriginal people who live there. The connections to land are complex and include cultural, spiritual and environmental obligations, including obligations for the protection of sacred sites.
Outstations (homelands) vary in size, composition, level of resources, extent of access to potable water and services, and the time of their establishment. Some may be very small, comprising a few families living together. Others may be expanding and developing their own economies, and have populations of over a hundred people. While some outstations (homelands) have grown into significant-sized communities, in most cases they are smaller than townships and regional centres.
Overcrowding
When one or more additional bedrooms are required to meet the Canadian National Occupancy Standard.
Priority allocation
New tenancy that is provided to individuals classified as in greatest need.Proxy Occupancy Standard
This specifies the bedroom requirements of a household, based on their household size and composition.
Household composition	Dwelling size required	
Single adult only	One bedroom	
Single adult (group)	One bedroom per adult	
Couple with no children	Two bedrooms	
Sole parent or couple with one child	Two bedrooms	
Sole parent or couple with two or three children	Three bedrooms	
For sole parent or couple households with four or more children the dwelling size should have the same number of bedrooms as the total number of children in the household.
Public rental housing
Rental housing provided and managed by state and territory governments. Included are households residing in public rental dwellings where the dwelling is either:
•	owned by the housing authority
•	leased from the private sector or other housing program areas and used for provision of public rental housing
•	leased to public housing tenants.

Queensland public housing bedroom entitlements
The following table outlines the bedroom entitlements for different client groups.
Type of housing	Client group	
Seniors’ unit 	•	Single person over 55 years
•	Couple over 55 years 	
One bedroom (any housing type)	•	Single person
•	Couple	
Two bedroom (any housing type)	•	Two single people sharing
•	Single/couple with one child
•	Single/couple with two children of same sex and less than 7 years age difference, at the applicant’s request.	
Three bedroom (any housing type)	•	Single/couple with two children of same sex and less than 7 years age difference
•	Three single people sharing
•	Single/couple with two–four children	
Four bedroom (any housing type)	•	Four single people sharing
•	Single/couple with three–six children	
Five bedroom (any housing type) (reviewable property)	•	Five single people sharing
•	Single/couple with four–eight children 	
Six bedroom (any housing type) (reviewable property)	•	Six single people sharing
•	Single/couple with five–10 children	
Seven bedroom (any housing type) (reviewable property)	•	Seven single people sharing
•	Single/couple with six–12 children	
Rebated household
A household receiving housing assistance (usually through a state or territory or community housing provider), that pays less than the market rent value of the dwelling.
Social housing
Rental housing provided by not-for-profit organisations, either government (public housing) or non-government (community housing).
Tenancy (rental) unit
For the purposes of the public rental housing, SOMIH and community housing data collections, a tenancy (rental) unit is defined as the unit of accommodation to which a rental agreement can be made.
In the majority of cases there will be only one tenancy (rental) unit within a dwelling structure, but in a small number of cases (for example, boarding houses, special group homes, semi-institutional dwellings) there may be more than one tenancy (rental) unit.
References
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2004. Disability, ageing and carers: summary of findings, 2003. ABS cat. no. 4430.0. Canberra: ABS.
ABS 2007a. 2006 Census of Population and Housing Australia. Census tables, 2007 (reissue). ABS cat. no. 2068.0. Canberra: ABS.
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ABS 2007c. Housing and infrastructure in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Australia 2006 (reissue). ABS cat. no. 4710.0. Canberra: ABS.
ABS 2008a. Counting the homeless Australia 2006. ABS cat. no. 2050.0 Canberra: ABS.
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ABS 2008c. Population projections, Australia, 2006 to 2101. ABS cat. no. 3222.0. Canberra: ABS.
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ABS 2009c. Housing occupancy and costs, 2007–08. ABS cat. no. 4130.0. Canberra: ABS.
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ABS 2010c. Household and Family Projections, Australia, 2006 to 2031. Cat. no. 3236.0. Canberra: ABS.
ABS 2010g. Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic Delivery, Jan 2011. Cat. no. 6291.0.55.001. Canberra ABS.
ABS 2010f. Measures of Australia's Progress, 2010. Cat. no. 1370.0. Canberra: ABS.
ABS 2010b. Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2008–09. Cat. no. 3218.0. Canberra: ABS.
ABS & AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) 2008. The health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 2008. ABS Cat. no. 4704.0. AIHW Cat. no. IHW 21. Canberra: ABS & AIHW.
AHURI (Australia Housing and Urban Research Institute) 2005. The health, employment, and education benefits of public housing. AHURI research and policy bulletin. Issue 54. Melbourne: AHURI.
AHURI 2010. How well do older Australians utilise their homes? Issue 126. Melbourne: AHURI.
AIHW 2005a. Commonwealth-State housing agreement national data reports 2003-04, CSHA community housing. Cat. no. HOU 113. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2005b. Commonwealth-State housing agreement national data reports 2003-04, public rental housing. Cat. no. HOU 114. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2005c. Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement national data reports 2003-04: state owned and managed Indigenous housing. Cat. no. HOU 112. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2005d. Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement national data reports 2004-05: public rental housing. Cat. no. HOU 131. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2005e. Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement national data reports 2004-05: state owned and managed Indigenous housing. Cat. no. HOU 130. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2005f. Indigenous housing indicators 2003-04. Cat. no. HOU 127. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2006a. Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement national data reports 2004-05: CSHA community housing. Cat. no. HOU 141. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2006b. National housing assistance data dictionary version 3. Housing assistance data development series. Cat. No. HOU 147. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2006c. Public rental housing 2005-06: Commonwealth State Housing Agreement national data reports. Cat. no. HOU 153. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2006d. State owned and managed Indigenous housing 2005-06: Commonwealth State Housing Agreement national data reports. Cat. no. HOU 154. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2007a. Community housing 2005-06: Commonwealth State Housing Agreement national data report. Cat. no. HOU 152. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2007b. Indigenous housing indicators 2005-06. Cat. no. HOU 168. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2008a. Community housing 2006-07: Commonwealth State Housing Agreement national data report. Cat. no. HOU 172. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2008b. Housing Assistance in Australia. Cat. No. HOU 137. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2008c. Public rental housing 2006-07: Commonwealth State Housing Agreement national data report. Cat. no. HOU 170. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2008d. State owned and managed Indigenous housing 2006-07: Commonwealth State Housing Agreement national data report. Cat. no. HOU 171. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2009a. Australia’s welfare 2009. Cat. no. AUS 117. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2009b. Community housing 2007-08. Cat. no. HOU 188. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2009c. Disability support services 2007–08: national data on services provided under the Commonwealth State/Territory Disability Agreement. Disability series. Cat. no. DIS 56. Canberra: AIHW
AIHW 2009d. Indigenous housing indicators 2007–08. Indigenous housing series no. 3. Cat. no. HOU 212. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2009e. Public rental housing 2007-08. Cat. no. HOU 187. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2009f. State owned and managed Indigenous housing 2007-08. Cat. no. HOU 189. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2010a. A profile of social housing in Australia. Cat. no. HOU 232. Canberra: AIHW
AIHW 2010b. Community housing 2008-09. Cat. no. HOU 217. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 11 May 2011 <http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442468328>.
AIHW 2010c. Government-funded specialist homelessness services: SAAP National Data Collection annual report 2008–09. Cat. no. HOU 219. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2010d. Indigenous community housing 2008–09. Housing assistance data development series. Cat. no. HOU 229. Canberra: AIHW.
AIHW 2010e. Public rental housing 2008-09. Cat. no. HOU 218. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 11 May 2011 <http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442468326>.
AIHW 2010f. State owned and managed Indigenous housing 2008-09. Cat. no. HOU 216. Canberra: AIHW. Viewed 11 May 2011 <http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=6442468327>.
AIHW 2010g. Young people and children in social housing. Bulletin 85, Dec 2010. 134. Canberra: AIHW.
Beer A & Faulkner D 2009. The housing careers of people with a disability and carers of people with a disability. Australia Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) research paper. Melbourne: AHURI.
COAG (Council of Australian Governments) 2009a. Investing in the Early Years—A National Early Childhood Development Strategy. An initiative of the Council of Australian Governments. Canberra: COAG. Viewed 1 December 2010, <http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2009-07-02/docs/national_ECD_strategy.pdf>.
COAG 2009b. National Affordable Housing Agreement. Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations. Canberra: COAG. Viewed 21 April 2011, <http://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/national_agreements/downloads/IGA_FFR_ScheduleF_National_Affordable_Housing_Agreement.pdf>.
COAG 2009c. National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing. Canberra: COAG. Viewed 1 December 2010, <http://www.coag.gov.au/intergov_agreements/federal_financial_relations/docs/national_partnership/national_partnership_on_remote_indigenous_housing.pdf>.
COAG 2009d. National Partnership Agreement on the Nation Building and Jobs Plan: building prosperity for the future and supporting jobs now. Canberra: COAG. Viewed 1 December 2010, <http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2009-02-05/docs/20090205_nation_building_jobs.pdf>.
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List of tables
Table 1.1:	Projected growth of households, families and population, 2006–31	5
Table 2.1:	Demographic profile in public rental housing and SOMIH, 2004–05 and 2009–10	10
Table 2.2:	Proportion of households that transferred and exited from public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 2009–10	14
Table 2.3:	Number of households on the waiting list for public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	14
Table 2.4:	Proportion of public rental housing and SOMIH households classified as low income, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	15
Table 2.5:	Average weekly rebate per household and average weekly market rent values in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, week of 30 June 2010	16
Table 2.6:	Occupancy rates in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 
30 June 2010	17
Table 2.7:	Number of public rental housing and SOMIH dwellings undergoing major redevelopment, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	17
Table 2.8:	Selected characteristics of public rental housing and SOMIH households in overcrowded and underutilised dwellings compared with all households, 30 June 2010	18
Table 2.9:	Selected characteristics of public rental housing and SOMIH households in underutilised dwellings compared with all households, 30 June 2010	19
Table 3.1:	Households assisted in the not-for-profit housing sector, 30 June 2010	23
Table 3.2:	Mainstream CH and ICH organisations, by size	25
Table 3.3:	Number of households on waiting lists, in greatest need and newly assisted for mainstream CH	27
Table 3.4:	Number and proportion of mainstream CH tenants classified as low income, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	27
Table 3.5:	Rental stress for low-income households in mainstream CH households, by state and territory, week of 30 June 2010	29
Table 3.6:	Low-income Indigenous households paying greater than 30% of income in rent in mainstream CH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	30
Table 3.7:	Match of dwelling to household size in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	32
Table 3.8:	Net recurrent costs per rental unit or dwelling in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory	33
Table 3.9:	Maintenance expenditure for ICH, by jurisdiction, 2008–09 and 2009–10	34
Table 4.1:	Number of income units assisted with CRA, by state and territory, June 2010	36
Table 4.2:	Number of households helped by private rent assistance, by state and territory,
2009–10	38
Table 4.3:	Number of households assisted through home purchase assistance programs, by state and territory, 2009–10	40
Table 5.1:	Targeted and mainstream housing assistance provided to Indigenous Australians, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	43
Table 5.2:	Indigenous recipients of assistance through major housing assistance programs, for the year ending 30 June 2010	43
Table 5.3:	Proportion of household types by tenure type, 2007–08	44
Table 5.4:	Housing circumstances of older people compared with all Australians, 2007–08	46
Table 5.5:	Older recipients of housing assistance by type of assistance, June 2010	47
Table 5.6:	Recipients of CRA aged 65 years or more, by proportion of income spent on rent with and without CRA payment, June 2010	47
Table 5.7:	Allocation and support provided by social housing programs to households with a member with disability, 30 June 2010	48
Table A1.1:	Subpopulations in Australia	50
Table A1.2:	Dwelling numbers by state and territory and tenure type for all of Australia and for remote areas only, 2006	51
Table A1.3:	Housing stock and use, 1998–2008	52
Table A1.4:	Proportion of households in each housing cost category, 1994–95 to 2007–08	52
Table A1.5:	Projected demand for housing: number of dwellings in 2021 relative to 2006,
by tenure type	53
Table A2.1:	Geographical distribution of public rental and SOMIH dwellings, 30 June 2010	54
Table A2.2:	Number of social housing dwellings, by program, 2003–04 to 2009–10	55
Table A2.3:	Number of households assisted in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	55
Table A2.4:	Number of households newly assisted in public rental housing, SOMIH and mainstream CH, 2003–04 to 2009–10	56
Table A2.5:	Proportion of newly assisted households that are in greatest need	56
Table A2.6:	Allocation and access in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 2009–10	56
Table A2.7:	Number of public rental housing and SOMIH households, by length of tenure,
30 June 2010	57
Table A2.8:	Transfers and exits from public rental housing and SOMIH, 2009–10	58
Table A2.9:	Proportion of allocations in the time period to those in greatest need, by program and state and territory, 2009–10	58
Table A2.10:	Number and proportion of public rental housing and SOMIH households classified as low income, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	59
Table A2.11:	Workforce participation and employment of adults living in public rental housing, Aug–Sept 2010	59
Table A2.12:	Number and proportion of low-income public rental housing and SOMIH households paying given proportions of their assessable income in rent, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	60
Table A2.13:	Number and proportion of rebated and non-rebated public rental housing and SOMIH households, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	60
Table A2.14:	Rents charged and rebates received in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, week of 30 June 2010	61
Table A2.15:	Occupancy and tenantability in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	61
Table A2.16:	Number and proportion of households in public rental housing and SOMIH where dwelling is not matched to household size, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	62
Table A2.17:	Number of Indigenous households in public rental housing requiring additional bedrooms due to overcrowding, by number of additional bedrooms required, remoteness, and state and territory, 2009–10	63
Table A2.18:	Number of SOMIH households requiring additional bedroom due to overcrowding, by number of additional bedrooms required, remoteness, and state and territory, 2009–10	64
Table A2.19:	Public rental housing tenants’ overall satisfaction rating, by state and territory, Aug–Sept 2010	64
Table A2.20:	Public rental housing tenants’ rating of amenity aspects as important and meeting their needs, Aug–Sept 2010	65
Table A2.21:	Public rental housing tenants’ rating of location aspects as important and meeting their needs, Aug–Sept 2010	65
Table A3.1:	Number of organisations, dwellings and assisted households in mainstream CH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	66
Table A3.2:	Number of organisations, dwellings and assisted households in ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	66
Table A3.3:	Geographical distribution of mainstream CH and ICH dwellings	68
Table A3.4:	Allocation and access in mainstream CH, by state and territory, 2009–10	69
Table A3.5:	Workforce participation and employment of adults living in mainstream CH, Aug–Sept 2010	69
Table A3.6:	Number of low-income mainstream CH households paying given proportions of their assessable income in rent, by state and territory, 2009–10	70
Table A3.7:	Occupancy and tenantability in mainstream CH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	70
Table A3.8:	Occupancy in ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	71
Table A3.9:	Match of dwelling to household size in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	72
Table A3.10:	Base financial data for ICH, by state and territory, for year ending 30 June 2010	73
Table A3.11:	Rent charged and collected in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, for year ending 30 June 2010	74
Table A3.12:	Net recurrent costs per rental unit or dwelling in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory	75
Table A3.13:	Maintenance expenditure for ICH, by jurisdiction, 2008–09 and 2009–10	76
Table A3.14:	Selected financial performance indicators for ICH, by state and territory, for 2009–10	77
Table A3.15:	Tenants’ satisfaction in mainstream CH, by state and territory, Aug–Sept 2010	79
Table A3.16:	Mainstream CH tenants’ rating of amenity aspects as important and meeting needs, by amenity aspect, Aug–Sept 2010	79
Table A3.17:	Mainstream CH tenants’ rating of location aspects as important and meeting needs, by location aspect, Aug–Sept 2010	80
Table A4.1:	Proportion of income units in rental stress before and after CRA, by income unit type, June 2010	81
Table A4.2:	Average amount of private rent assistance received, by type of assistance, 
2009–10	81
Table A4.3:	Average amount of home purchase assistance received, by type of assistance, 2009–10	81
Table A5.1:	Proportion of Australian households in each tenure type, by Indigenous status, 2006	82
Table A5.2:	Tenure type for Indigenous households, by remoteness, 2006	82
Table A5.3:	Proportion of household members, by housing assistance program and age group, June 2010	83
Table A5.4:	Ages of young people in the same public rental housing or SOMIH household since birth, 2009–10	83
Table A5.5:	‘Greatest need’ reason for newly allocated households with a member with a disability in public rental housing and SOMIH, 2009–10	83
Table A6.1:	Mainstream CH survey response rates, 2009–10	85
List of figures
Figure 1.1:	Main housing assistance programs in Australia, by sector, 2009–10	3
Figure 1.2:	Housing stock in Australia, by tenure type, 2006	4
Figure 1.3:	Dwelling stock trends in Australia, 1998–2008	4
Figure 1.4:	Number of households in moderate housing stress (housing costs more than 30% of income) and severe housing stress (housing costs more than 50% of income), 1995–2008	6
Figure 1.5:	Projected increased demand for dwellings in 2021 relative to 2006, by tenure type	6
Figure 2.1:	Geographical distribution of public rental housing and SOMIH dwellings, 30 June 2010	7
Figure 2.2:	Number of social housing dwellings, 2003–04 to 2009–10	8
Figure 2.3:	(a) Public rental housing and SOMIH households as a proportion of state household population, and (b) number of Indigenous households assisted, 30 June 2010	9
Figure 2.4:	Households newly assisted in public rental housing and SOMIH, 2003–04 to 2009–10	11
Figure 2.5:	Newly assisted households in greatest need as a proportion of all newly assisted, 2003–04 to 2009–10	11
Figure 2.6:	Proportion of new allocations (a) in greatest need, and (b) having special needs, by waiting time for public rental housing and SOMIH, 2009–10	12
Figure 2.7:	Length of tenure in public rental housing and SOMIH, 30 June 2010	13
Figure 2.8:	Workforce participation and employment of adults living in public rental housing, Aug–Sept 2010	15
Figure 2.9:	Proportion of households that are rebated in public rental housing and SOMIH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	16
Figure 2.10:	Overcrowding in Indigenous public rental housing and SOMIH households, by remoteness and number of additional bedrooms required, 2009–10	20
Figure 2.11:	Public rental housing tenants reporting overall satisfaction with the services provided by (or through) their housing department, Aug–Sept 2010	21
Figure 2.12:	Public rental housing tenants rating amenity aspects as important and meeting their needs, Aug–Sept 2010	22
Figure 2.13:	Public rental housing tenants rating location aspects as important and meeting their needs, Aug–Sept 2010	22
Figure 3.1:	Geographical distribution of mainstream CH and ICH dwellings	24
Figure 3.2:	Proportion of newly allocated tenancies classified into one or more need categories for mainstream CH, by state and territory, 2009–10	26
Figure 3.3:	Workforce participation and employment of people living in mainstream CH, Aug–Sept 2010	28
Figure 3.4:	Proportion of low-income mainstream CH tenants spending given proportions of their income on rent, 30 June 2010	29
Figure 3.5:	Occupancy rates in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, 30 June 2010	31
Figure 3.6:	Rent collection rate in mainstream CH and ICH, by state and territory, 2009–10	33
Figure 3.7:	Proportion of mainstream CH tenants reporting overall satisfaction with the services provided by (or through) their housing provider, Aug–Sept 2010	34
Figure 3.8:	Tenants’ satisfaction with the amenity aspects of their dwelling, Aug–Sept 2010	35
Figure 3.9:	Tenants’ satisfaction with the location aspects of their dwelling, Aug–Sept 2010	35
Figure 4.1:	CRA recipients in rental stress (paying greater than 30% of income in rent) before and after CRA, by income unit type, June 2010	37
Figure 4.2:	Average amount of private rent assistance received by assistance type, 2009–10	38
Figure 5.1:	Proportion of Australian households in each tenure type, by Indigenous status, 2006	41
Figure 5.2:	Proportion of Indigenous households in each tenure type, by remoteness, 2006	42
Figure 5.3:	Proportion of people living in public rental housing and SOMIH households, and CRA income units CRA, by age group, June 2010	48
Figure 5.4:	Young people in the same public rental housing or SOMIH household since birth, by age group, June 2010	45
Figure 5.5:	Main ‘greatest need’ reason reported by households with a member with a disability allocated to public rental housing and SOMIH, 2009–10	49