HOUSING

KEY FINDINGS

In the 2011 Census:

• 59% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households were renting, down from 60% in the 2006 Census
• 11% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households owned their home outright, the same as in 2006
• 25% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households owned their home with a mortgage, up from 23% in 2006.

HOUSING TENURE

In the 2011 Census, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households were more likely to rent their home (59%) than own their home with a mortgage (25%) or own their home outright (11%). In comparison, other households were more likely to own their home (68%) than rent (29%). The median monthly housing loan repayment was $1,647 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households that owned their home with a mortgage, compared with $1,800 for non-Indigenous households.



About twice as many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households rented their homes as other households (59% compared with 29%). Of those households that rented, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households were less likely than other households to rent from a real estate agent (35% compared with 55%) and three times more likely to rent from state or territory housing authorities (36% compared with 12%). The median weekly rent for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households was $195, while the median weekly rent for non-Indigenous households was $290.




NON-PRIVATE DWELLINGS

In the 2011 Census, 25,900 (5%) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were counted in non-private dwellings such as hotels/motels, hostels, corrective facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, cared accommodation and boarding houses. Of those counted in non-private dwellings, 30% were counted in an adult prison or corrective institution, 14% in a hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast, 11% in a boarding school and 7% in a hospital.