Living conditions are the foundation for family wellbeing. They are a base from which families can prosper and children can develop. For this reason, state and territory governments regulate and/or deliver services that support decent living conditions. These services include:

• essential services – to supply safe and reliable electricity and water, and treat sewerage
• municipal (local government) services – such as road building and maintenance, environmental health, rubbish collection, and local planning and building controls
• housing services – social housing for those who can’t afford a private rental, or in areas in which there is no private housing market.

Most West Australians take these services for granted where they live. However, the arrangements for delivering these services in remote Aboriginal communities are unusual and ad hoc, contributing in many instances to poor living conditions. The same is true in some Aboriginal reserves in regional towns.

These conditions affect more than just residents’ health. A child is much less likely to go to school, and an adult is much less likely to go to work, if they do not have a safe, clean and uncrowded place to sleep, with access to safe and reliable electricity, and clean drinking water.

The State Government’s view is that living conditions in regional and remote areas must improve through mutual accountability between households, communities and government. Each household must maintain their house and pay their bills. Communities are collectively responsible for the condition of public space. In larger communities, government should provide essential, municipal and, where applicable, housing services.