Indigenous Aussies face housing crisis
Prime Minister John Howard received accolades when he toured Hopevale in far North QLD yesterday including a gift of a signed Cowboys jersey from footballer Matt Bowen While he was in Hopevale Mr Howard talked up an idea to increase the number of indigenous people who own their own homes. Howard wants to grant indigenous people the right to finance home buying by leasing community land on 99 year leases. So far the proposal has received a mixed response. While he’s been gone a government institute released a report highlighting housing as one of the major areas of indigenous disadvantage. According to the report if you’re Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander there is a much greater chance you’ll be renting, be living in a house in need of urgent repair or be homeless.