More Houses or just Houses that Work
A front page story on the Third world conditions in indigenous communities has predictably led to calls for yet more money to be thrown at the problem of housing. Minister Amanda Vanstone has got tough on the issue saying “no more build and abandon” will be the government’s bottom line to communities as she prepares to implement the new mutual obligation policy. Architect Paul pholeros is part of a team called health habitat – they work on communities across Australia lucky enough to be funded under the Housing for health scheme. They don’t build houses, they fix sewerage and the other problems that he says are the real reason why houses get abandoned. He says regular maintenance and access to tools out on communities would make a huge difference.