Data used in the guide
The survey data used throughout the guide has been derived from Housing for Health and Fixing Houses for Better Health projects undertaken throughout Australia over the past seven years; see Appendix 1 ‘Housing for Health methodology’. The data show the condition of the houses before work commenced to fix the health hardware under the Housing for Health project.In the 2003 (second) edition of the guide, data from less than 800 houses were available. In this guide the data are drawn from a group of over 3,500 houses and include urban, urban fringe, regional, remote and very remote regions5 covering desert, temperate and tropical conditions.
While the data are not a representative sample of Indigenous housing nationally, it provides a snapshot of houses where surveys have been undertaken over the last seven years and raises questions for designers and housing managers to consider in their particular geographic and social area.
The data reveal the living conditions of over 25,000 Indigenous people at a point in time before any fix work commenced. Data from a repeat survey after fix works were completed show that conditions in houses improved significantly as a result of the Housing for Health projects.
The details presented in the data reveal key design, construction, maintenance and management issues. Ignoring these details could mean that residents are provided with poorly functioning living environments. The data are not intended to limit the design range or creativity of designers and housing managers around the widely differing environments of Australia.
The charts below show two important breakdowns of the houses in the data collection.
Changes in the condition of houses
Survey data tables appear throughout this guide. These data tables indicate whether the condition of particular items in surveyed houses have changed since the last edition. The changes are measured by comparing 2003 trends (published in the second edition of the guide) with 2006 trends, where available. The symbols in the last column of each survey data table indicate whether the condition of an item has improved or worsened since 2003. The symbols are:
< = decrease indicated of 5% to 10%
<< = decrease indicated of more than 10%
+ = increase indicated of 5% to 10%
++ = increase indicated of more than 10%