POLICY: 2025 Closing the Gap Feature Article – ‘Housing for Health’

Closing the Gap education, employment and housing targets: key findings and implications – Feature Article

This feature article, released 2nd April 2025, outlines the key factors associated with the Closing the Gap targets on education, employment and housing and identifies common themes and strategies for improvement. ‘Housing for Health‘ is mentioned as a key solution.

Image: Front cover of the HPF Feature article

Closing the Gap & this article

The 2020 National Agreement on Closing the Gap includes 17 socio-economic outcomes and targets that aim to address these issues

This feature article draws on the evidence from a larger project which looked at the factors associated with 14 of the 17 socio-economic outcomes in the National Agreement and strategies for their improvement. This article focuses on 5 targets traditionally considered to be social determinants of health, including:

• housing;
• youth engagement in employment, education or training (EET);
• year 12 completion;
• participation in tertiary education; and
• employment.

Closing the Gap Target (housing)

Excerpt (page 13) – Table 1.1: Closing the Gap education, employment and housing outcomes and associated targets included in this article

The feature article gives context to crowding in 2.1 Housing from page 16.

Between 2016 and 2021, the proportion of First Nations people (79% to 81%) and First Nations households (89% to 90%) living in appropriately sized housing increased. However, the number of First Nations people living in crowded dwellings (based on the ABS’s Census of Population and Housing count) also increased – from 114,000 to around 130,000 – as did the number of First Nations households living in crowded dwellings (from 26,400 to 31,300). If the results for this target continue to improve at the current rate, the national target is likely to be met, or very close to being met, by 2031. 

The proportion of First Nations people living in appropriately sized housing was lower in Remote (68%) and Very remote areas (45%), however.

The feature article discusses solutions to crowding 2.1.3 Housing from page 19.

Efforts to improve access to appropriately sized housing could focus on areas where crowding is highest, in particular the Northern Territory. Although the target was close to being met in New South Wales and Queensland, because of their large populations, the number of First Nations people living in crowded dwellings in these 2 states was still high: 30,500 and 38,200, respectively.

Programs such as Housing for Health (which makes safety and ‘health hardware’ repairs) reduce the negative impact of crowding and ensure existing dwellings are still tenantable, therefore reducing crowding by maintaining the existing social housing stock.

While remote housing programs have delivered improvements, the persistent high rate of overcrowding in remote areas shows there are still advances to be made. Involving communities in the design, construction and maintenance of housing can build capacity for improved housing-related health outcomes.

Healthabitat are delighted to see Housing for Health mentioned as an important program in making an impact towards Closing the Gap. However, it is a shame the report largely focuses on resolving ‘crowding‘ as the key solution. Our program of works is mentioned as a solution, over the critical importance of sustained, regular, cyclical repairs and maintenance programs in all housing stock to ensure houses continue to function and keep people safe and healthy. Housing for Health data over the past 20 years has shown little movement from 74% as the prime reason of why things are failing in houses – lack of routine repairs and maintenance.