Identifying effective arrangements for tenancy management service delivery to remote Indigenous communities

This report provides the background and introduction to the second phase of research examining reforms in the way tenancy management is undertaken in remote Indigenous communities across northern Australia. The first phase of the study was undertaken in 2013 and involved a review of the progress of tenancy management reforms in four jurisdictions of the NT, QLD, WA and SA, and an analysis of the feasibility of a further, more in-depth investigation into the implementation, effectiveness and sustainability of the reforms and the differing policy and service delivery approaches. The second phase of this study commenced in mid-2014 and aims to investigate empirically and in more depth how well those arrangements are working, the appropriateness and effectiveness of the tenancy management policy and service delivery approaches, and the efficiency and value for money of the tenancy and maintenance service delivery models. The aim is to identify and share policy and practice lessons across jurisdictions and nationally that will inform sustainable tenancy management arrangements and decisions about further Commonwealth and state/territory investments in housing for remote Indigenous communities. The purpose of this report is to establish the context and set out the research approach for this second phase of the study. It provides a summary of the findings and conclusions from the first phase of the research in the form of a condensed and updated version of the published Phase 1 Final Report (Habibis et al. 2014) and details of the aims, research questions and methods that are being employed for Phase 2. The research is positioned in the context of broader reforms to remote Indigenous housing that have seen the Australian Government providing resources to state and territory governments to improve housing conditions and expand housing options. The research is, however, specifically concerned with reforms to tenancy and property management aimed at achieving long-term benefits for tenants and communities as well as extending the life of dwellings.