Housing help for First Nations people

First Nations communities are set to benefit from increased homeownership and upgrades to public housing under a new plan announced by the state government.

An initial $61m will be pumped into the new program, which has been co-designed with First Nations peoples.

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon revealed the plan includes $12m to set up a one-off subsidised modular homes program and a “Sales to Tenants” program — which involves giving public housing tenants the chance to buy the department-owned home they rent if it’s for sale.

“In response to calls from Indigenous community housing organisations, we’ll also create a funding program to help them maintain and upgrades homes, as part of a $20 million allocation,” she said.

The funding will also be used to create opportunities for the First Nations building and construction industry and delivering apprenticeships and training, and delivering more traineeships.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Queensland chief executive Neil Willmett said the organisation had worked closely with the government to co-design the Our Place action plan.

“Our Place is bold – it has to be to close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing inequality in Queensland – and supports our vision to shift the way we work and deliver First Nations housing in Queensland to grow a strong and sustainable sector,” he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in early March unveiled $4bn for housing in the Northern Territory’s remote communities with a promise to build 270 new homes a year to reduce overcrowding by 50 per cent. But there is no such deal for Queensland’s Indigenous communities.