Perceptions of Home Ownership among Indigenous Home Owners

Abstract

Home ownership has only recently begun to be available for the residents of remote Indigenous settlements and town camps with community title land, but it has long been an option for Indigenous peoples living on freehold title in rural towns and urban centres. The article presents the results of a household survey of these existing Indigenous home owners, under the Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) Home Ownership Program (HOP). The survey revealed a high degree of home-owner satisfaction, not only in terms of financial gain, but also in developmental terms such as empowerment, ownership and control. Repayment defaults were low and people were successfully managing maintenance, including renovations. The people interviewed were generally found to be literate, numerate, working, low-income households, similar to first-home owners in the mainstream. In addition to household income, employment history and household size were found to be strong precursors and ongoing indicators of the social transition involved, along a broader development pathway. In concluding, the article reflects on the opportunities and constraints involved in generalising these findings to communal title land typical to remote Indigenous settlements.