Australia Yearbook - 2001

Chapter 8—Housing 321
8.22 HOUSING CONDITION OF DWELLINGS OWNED BY COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS—1999
Number of people in community
Fewer than 50
50 to 199 200 or more
Total
%
%
%
%
Permanent dwellings
Minor or no repairs required 79.4 64.4 64.7 67.3
Major repairs required 14.9 26.5 23.6 22.7
Replacement required 3.9 9.1 11.6 9.8
Total dwellings(a) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
’000 ’000 ’000 ’000
Total dwellings(a) 2.1 2.4 7.4 11.9
(a) Includes those for which the amount of repairs needed was not stated.
Source: Unpublished data, Community and Housing Infrastructure Needs Survey, 1999.
8.23 AVAILABILITY OF DRINKING WATER,
ELECTRICITY AND SEWERAGE SYSTEMS—1999
%
Main source of drinking water
Bore water 64.9
Connected to town supply 10.4
Rain water tank 9.1
Other sources of drinking water 14.2
No organised supply 1.3
Main source of electricity supply
Domestic generators 28.6
Community generators 24.9
Town supply or State grid 15.6
Other sources of electricity supply 19.7
No electricity supply 11.2
Main sewerage system
Septic tanks with leach drain 45.7
Pit toilet 25.2
Septic tanks (common effluent disposal) 8.8
Other sewerage systems 14.5
No sewerage system 5.8
Total 100.0
Source: Unpublished data, Community and Housing
Infrastructure Needs Survey, 1999.
This view is illustrated by the problems
associated with water restrictions, power
interruptions, and sewage overflows and
leakages. Remote Indigenous communities of
50 or more people were surveyed for problems
with the operation of these services.
In the 12 months prior to the survey, water
restrictions were experienced in 36% of remote
Indigenous communities of 50 people or more
(table 8.24). The most common reason for
having water restricted was the breakdown of
equipment (reported by 19% of communities).
These breakdowns happened more frequently
in larger communities (22% of communities of
200 or more) than smaller communities (16% of
communities of 50–199 people). Natural causes
such as a normal dry season (9%), or drought
(2%) were also reported as reasons for water
restrictions.
Any interruption to the supply of electrical power
will have an impact in many ways, particularly in
the refrigeration of food, washing of clothes and
contact with the outside world in the form of
television. In 1999, power interruptions occurred
in 85% of communities. Equipment breakdown
was again a major problem, affecting 52% of
remote Indigenous communities of 50 or more
people. The only reported natural cause of
power interruptions was storms, which occurred
in 37% of these communities.
Any overflow or leakage of sewage can impact
on the health of a community by providing
conditions where disease spreads rapidly. In
1999, 59% of the communities examined
reported that they had experienced sewage
overflows or leakages. Nearly all the reported
reasons for difficulties related to maintenance
and support problems: blocked drains (34%),
equipment failure (22%), insufficient capacity of
the septic system (18%), and design or
installation problems (2%).
Natural reasons played only a small part in
causing sewage overflows or leakages. The main
natural cause reported for overflows or leakages
of sewage for remote Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander communities was the annual wet
season, which caused difficulties in 8% of these
communities.