Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people secure appropriate, affordable housing that is aligned with their priorities and need.

By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing to 88 per cent.

The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) housing.

The measure is defined as:

Numerator — number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in appropriately sized (not overcrowded) dwellings

Denominator — total number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

and is presented as a percentage.

National Agreement on Closing the Gap July 2020

23 June 2021

Target

A high or increasing proportion is desirable. An increase from the baseline year is an improvement.

Name: Census of Population and Housing

Frequency: Five-yearly

Documentation (links): https://www.abs.gov.au/census

Provider name: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Provider area: Census

2016

2031

State and territory and Australia, by Indigenous status.

Numerator divided by Denominator multiplied by 100

Counting rules

Data are for people enumerated in private dwellings who reported being ‘at home’ on Census night.

Geographical variables are based on a person's Place of Usual Residence.

Numerator

Appropriately sized dwellings are those where no extra bedrooms are required to adequately house the usual residents, using the criteria of the Canadian National Occupancy Standard (CNOS). The CNOS specifies that:

• there should be no more than two people per bedroom
• a household of one unattached individual may reasonably occupy a bed–sit (i.e. have no bedroom)
• couples and parents should have a separate bedroom
• children less than five years of age, of different sexes, may reasonably share a bedroom
• children five years of age or over, of the opposite sex, should not share a bedroom
• children less than 18 years of age and of the same sex may reasonably share a bedroom; and
• single household members aged 18 years or over should have a separate bedroom.

The CNOS requires knowledge of the age, sex and relationship status of all tenants within a household, as well as the number of bedrooms in the dwelling. Households for which complete dwelling utilisation information is not available are excluded from this measure.

Includes (numerator and denominator):

• Australian total includes Other Territories.

Excludes (numerator and denominator):

• dwellings with Housing Suitability not stated or unable to be determined
• overseas visitors
• people whose Indigenous status was not stated.

Extraction

Census Table Builder (Pro) – HOSD x INGP x Main ASGS (UR) x UAICP

Data values have been randomly adjusted using perturbation to avoid the release of confidential data.

There is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes an overcrowded household. The ABS uses the CNOS. The CNOS is widely used in Australia and internationally. The relevance and appropriateness of CNOS in depicting dwelling utilisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has not been assessed.

Additional disaggregations required for future reporting:

• Remoteness areas and other small geographic areas (where available)
• Socioeconomic status of the locality
• Disability status
• Gender
• Age group
• Overcrowding status (1, 2, 3, 4 or more additional bedrooms required)
• Tenure type.