Regional Aboriginal Housing Leadership Assembly
REGIONAL ABORIGINAL HOUSING LEADERSHIP ASSEMBLY
BACKGROUND
- - In 2015, the Assembly initiated a major grass-roots review of the Aboriginal social housing sector in western NSW.
- - Negotiations to action the findings took place from June-October 2018 and, on 10th December 2018, the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs on behalf of the Government of NSW and the Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly Independent Chairperson on behalf of the Assembly entered into an Agreement to improve Aboriginal social housing outcomes in the Murdi Paaki Region.
- - The Agreement establishes the Regional Aboriginal Housing Leadership Assembly (RAHLA) as the overarching governance structure for delivery of the Agreement objectives.
- - In 2016, the Commonwealth Government paid all remaining funds from the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing (NPARIH) to the NSW Government. This payment included the condition that $15 million of the remaining funds be earmarked for the Murdi Paaki Region with expenditure to be negotiated between the Assembly and the NSW Government.
PURPOSE
- - Through the Agreement, RAHLA is tasked with devising and pursuing actions as a joint decision-making body.
- - Support joint decision making on the delivery of social housing outcomes in the Murdi Paaki Region.
- - Advise government and the Assembly on ways to direct social housing programs and policies to operate effectively and efficiently, to respond to the priorities of Aboriginal communities in the Region and establish mutually agreed service outcomes with the NSW Government.
- - Reinstate opportunities for the Region’s active and constructive participation in housing and infrastructure planning, design building and maintenance.
- - Adopt an effective and efficient procurement approach of goods and services.
- Conceive, develop, plan and implement strategies and actions to give effect to the allocation of the $15 million.
- - Commence the co-design of an Aboriginal social housing plan for the Region.
MPRA Members:
Grace Gordon - RAHLA Co-Chair
Pam Handy
Anthomy Knight
Allan Cobb
Government Members:
Famey Williams - Aboriginal Housing Office - RAHLA Co-Chair
Gerry Collins - Regional NSW
Emma Nicholson - Homes NSW
Rhett Gibson - NSW Treasury
The RAHLA Terms of Reference can be found here.