Activities that receive funding under the Remote Indigenous Housing Program will be those that are provided by eligible organisations that have been selected through a recognised administrative process.
Funding recipients/service providers will be required to deliver a mutually agreed program that meets the broad objectives, policies and priorities identified by the Council of Australian Governments to achieve Closing the Gap, and as further articulated in the National Partnership Agreements of Remote Indigenous Housing and Remote Service Delivery and in the Remote Indigenous Housing Program Guidelines.
These guidelines primarily provide information concerning funding of municipal and essential services which is one component under the Remote Indigenous Housing Program. Other activities funded in the program include:
- National Aboriginal Health Strategy (NAHS)
- Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Program (AACAP)
- Fixing Houses for Better Health Project (FHBH)
- Indigenous Mothers’ Accommodation Fund (IMAF)
- Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities (AMRRIC)
- Bushlight
If information concerning these funded programs is required please contact:
Section Manager
National Programs
Indigenous Housing Programs and Services
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
1300 653 227
- Municipal and Essential Services
While the delivery of municipal and essential services are primarily a state, territory and local government responsibility, many rural and remote Indigenous communities do not receive funding to cover the costs of these services. Those that do often require additional funding to address a legacy of under-servicing, or the high costs associated with remote area service delivery.
The Remote Indigenous Housing Program provides funding to supplement the efforts of state, territory and local governments to ensure Indigenous people have access to municipal and essential services consistent with and appropriate to their needs. Funding is provided for power, water and sewerage operation and maintenance, road maintenance, aerodrome maintenance, waste disposal, landscaping and dust control, dog control, environment health, and organisational governance.
Funding for the delivery of municipal and essential services is facilitated through regional delivery arrangements, which are typically managed at the state or territory level, and in some instances through FaHCSIA National Office.
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6.1 Funding for the program
Funding available for the Remote Indigenous Housing Program, as contained in the FaHCSIA Portfolio Budget Statement 2009-10 are as follows:
- 2009-2010 $120,469,000
- 2010-2011 $ 96,776,000
- 2011-2012 $ 89,969,000
- 2012-2013 $ 51,717,000
Funding is available to organisations that deliver services in accordance with the Remote Indigenous Housing Guidelines and with Australian Government and Council of Australian Government (COAG) policy, as reflected in the National Partnership Agreements (NPA) on Remote Indigenous Housing and Remote Service Delivery.
Specific funding for municipal and essential services is funded within the Remote Indigenous Housing Program appropriation.
Housing Minister’s committed the progressive transfer of responsibility for municipal and essential services to jurisdictions by 1 July 2012, depending on the agreement of individual jurisdictions. As a result of the transitional nature of current service delivery arrangements, in most circumstances only organisations that currently receive funding will be considered for Remote Indigenous Housing Program funding in future years. However, there is no guarantee that organisations currently funded will continue to receive funding.
Organisations that deliver typical municipal and essential services to discrete and specific communities will be chosen through a clear administrative process. Existing funding recipients/service providers will normally be direct selected, and following a risk assessment would receive an invitation to continue to deliver services and receive funding from FaHCSIA for a period of one financial year. Where circumstances require it, a competitive selection exercise may be used to identify the appropriate organisation to receive funding for a period of one financial year.
Organisations that deliver specialist municipal and essential services across Indigenous communities will be required to lodge a funding submission, which will be assessed against current and proposed policy imperatives and funding availability. FaHCSIA will then determine whether the specialist services are eligible to receive funding from FaHCSIA for a period of one financial year. A clear administrative process will be used, and if funding an existing funding recipient/service provider, the organisation will normally be direct selected, unless circumstances require a competitive selection exercise.
6.1.1 Eligible and ineligible activities
FaHCSIA reserves the right to exercise discretion on which activities receive funding, based on current and future policy imperatives and funding availability.
Please note: Funding recipients/service providers should contact their nearest FaHCSIA office for clarification about what activities are funded in their state or jurisdiction, and which activities have a higher priority for funding, as this varies from state to state.
Funding recipients/service providers should contact their nearest FaHCSIA office for clarification and advice about activities that fall outside these guidelines.
Activities that may be eligible for municipal services funding are detailed below:
Eligible Municipal Services Activities
Power, Water and Sewerage Operation and Maintenance
Assistance with operational costs and essential/routine repairs and maintenance to community water, power and sewerage systems in discrete communities. This includes assisting in shortfalls in operational costs of energy supply where communities are making significant efforts to collect revenue from users.
Road maintenance
Routine and essential maintenance to internal roads and drainage in discrete communities that are currently not the responsibility of a state/territory or local government body. Access roads on Aboriginal community land, which are clearly not the responsibility of another body, can be considered for assistance.
Aerodrome maintenance
Routine and essential maintenance of aerodromes in discrete remote communities.
Waste disposal
Effective and regular waste removal services and tip maintenance in communities.
Landscaping and dust control
Essential and effective landscaping and dust control services in communities including routine management and maintenance of community ovals/parks/playgrounds.
Management of infrastructure and municipal services
Operational costs required to provide municipal/essential services including assistance with administration costs, and repairs and maintenance to essential community buildings that are specifically used for the delivery of municipal/essential services. Vehicle insurance, running and capital costs may be considered for funding if the vehicle is used primarily for municipal and essential services delivery.
Dog and animal control
Programs should aim to improve the general health of people in the community to diseases, improve health of community dogs and animals, reduce hygiene and nuisance problems, and educational programs for communities on basic health care and control.
Environmental health activities
Activities to reduce environmental health risks and related diseases in communities.
Community Services
Limited provision of support for families and individuals related to interfacing with external organisations such as banks, insurance agencies, benefit agency, licensing bodies etc. However, it is expected that where these services are already being provided through another agency that should continue to be the case.
Other necessary municipal services
Includes fire prevention, preparation of town plans, and insurance on assets used specifically to provide municipal services.
Activities that may be eligible for essential services funding are detailed below:
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Eligible Essential Services Activities
Water Supply
Adequate supply of good quality water and related services, such as reticulation, bores and pumps to communities.
Power Supply
Adequate and reliable power supply and related services, such as generators, solar and wind systems, reticulation, power cards to communities.
Sewerage Services
Adequate and appropriate sewerage systems and related services, such as reticulation, septic tanks and pumps to communities.
Internal Roads and Drainage
Construction and repair of internal community roads to an adequate standard depending on location and climate and provision of related services, such as adequate and effective drainage and kerbing to communities.
Waste Disposal Facilities/Land Fill
Construction or upgrades to community rubbish/recycling sites including fencing.
Renewable Energy
Provision of funding for new Renewable Energy power generation systems or upgrades.
Other Related Infrastructure
- Plant, machinery and tools used on the construction and repair and maintenance of infrastructure assets;
- Facilities to enable external transport access (jetties, boat ramps, airstrips) and related access roads on discrete Indigenous communities;
- Staff housing where an activity or organisations primary function is the provision of essential or municipal services;
- Administration buildings of Indigenous organisations that deliver and/or manage municipal/essential services including essential office equipment, furniture and equipment. Funding is typically only available where substantial infrastructure assets are managed satisfactorily by the organisation, and where viable alternatives (rent, leasing, and joint funding) are not available.
- Landscaping and dust control (community parks, windbreaks and trees);
- Purchase of community fire control equipment;
- Communal refrigeration;
- Community work sheds for storage and maintenance of community owned plant and equipment;
- Radio communications;
- Communal kitchen and ablution blocks, taking into consideration the possible environmental and health risks of such facilities;
- Fencing infrastructure and community boundaries, where the absence of such is likely to cause serious damage to housing or infrastructure.
Activities that are generally ineligible for funding are detailed below:
Ineligible Activities
Aged care
The Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) and state/territory governments have primary responsibility for funding the capital and recurrent costs of residential aged care facilities.
Education / training related buildings and equipment
These are the responsibility of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), and state/territory educational departments.
Health Clinics and general primary health care
These are the responsibility of DoHA and state/territory health authorities. Hostels, Short-term and crisis accommodation Short-term and crisis accommodation is the responsibility of state/territory governments, or is funded through specifically targeted activities.
Infrastructure for commercial ventures including pastoral leases
These are the responsibility of the DEEWR through Indigenous Business Australia.
Motor Vehicles, ambulances, buses and barges
General purpose motor vehicles or motor vehicles for individual outstations cannot be funded. Ambulances should be funded by DoHA.
Multi-purpose centres
FaHCSIA does not have responsibility for funding multi-purpose centres where an activity or organisations primary function is not the provision of municipal and essential services.
School buses and public transport
These are the responsibility of state/territory education or transport departments.
Sport/recreation buildings, pools
These are the responsibility of state/territory and local governments.
Staff housing
FaHCSIA does not have responsibility for funding staff housing where an activity or organisations primary function is not the provision of municipal and essential services.
Training
These are the responsibility of the DEEWR and state/territory educational departments. If there are particular instances where a strong case can be made for municipal and essential services funds to be used in conjunction with state or other providers, and where training is being provided by an accredited training organisation, a case may be put to the FaHCSIA National Office.
Transient people
As a general rule RIH funds are not to be used to provide accommodation for transient individuals or families. In cases where individuals or families are transient because of an event or crisis, assistance is available from Aboriginal Hostels Limited, or services funded under the Crisis Accommodation Program and the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program.
Consideration may be given in special situations where communities face environmental health hazards through the influx of transient visitors for prolonged periods of time or for regular, though intermittent, periods throughout the year. In these circumstances, funding for alternative accommodation solutions may be considered.
Under the National Partnership on Remote Indigenous Housing, responsibility for the management of community housing (construction, acquisition, upgrades and renovations of houses, and asset and tenancy management) has transitioned to the state and territory governments.
As such, the Remote Indigenous Housing Program does not provide direct or grant funding for housing activities. Through programs such as FHBH, AACAP and NAHS, the Australian Government still provides some funding for these activities, however no new funding agreements will be entered into with Indigenous housing organisations.
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6.2 Service provider eligibility
FaHCSIA will only enter into Funding Agreements with:
- Incorporated Associations (incorporated under state/territory legislation, commonly have 'Association' or 'Incorporated' or 'Inc' in their legal name);
- Incorporated Cooperatives (also incorporated under state/territory legislation, commonly have 'Cooperative' in their legal name);
- Companies (incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cwlth) - maybe not-for-profit or for-profit proprietary company (limited by shares or by guarantee) or public companies);
- Aboriginal Corporations (incorporated under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cwlth) and administered by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations);
- Organisations established through a specific piece of Commonwealth or state/territory legislation (many public benevolent institutions, churches, universities, unions etc);
- Partnerships;
- Trustees on behalf of a Trust;
- Local Governments; and
- where there is no suitable alternative, an individual or – jointly and separately – individuals.
6.3 Eligible and in-eligible organisations/bodies
As a general rule, FaHCSIA makes grants available under the Remote Indigenous Housing Program through incorporated Indigenous-controlled organisations. Even where FaHCSIA uses contract program managers to assist in delivery, funding agreements are entered into with the local Indigenous organisation or resource agency.
Organisations eligible for funding through the Remote Indigenous Housing Program are:
- Those currently providing municipal and essential services or directly supporting such services; or
- In certain circumstances, such as the result of an open competitive selection process, organisations that are not currently funded may be approached to assume responsibility for service delivery to a discrete or group of discrete communities.
To be eligible for funding an organisation must have a business plan that reflects:
- Objectives and activities - of the organisation in relation to the provision of services for which the organisation is funded
- Financial management – systems in place to meet accountability requirements, and the identification of resources required to meet operational budgets
- Funding sources – identification of all current and potential future funding sources
- Asset (property) management – identification of how assets will be managed and maintained
- Human resource management – details of staffing that should include salaries, duties, and training strategies
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6.4 Specialist requirements (eg, Legislative requirements)
Organisations in receipt of funding must comply with all laws detailed in the Funding Agreement and/or Terms and Conditions. As an example:
- Privacy and Confidentiality
The Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth) governs the manner in which personal information is handled by government agencies and private sector organisations.
Funding recipients are required to store records in a secure place and dispose of them in an appropriate manner. Further information surrounding information security can be found in the Funding Agreement Terms and Conditions.