Outstations and Homelands

Responsibility for funding of outstations and homelands transferred from the Australian Government to the Territory Government on 1 July 2008.

A Working Future will see:

better service delivery
funding certainty
more responsibility in the hands of residents.

Better service delivery

Territory Growth Towns will provide services to all people living in that region, including people living on outstations and homelands.

Where outstations and homelands do not have a Territory Growth Town nearby we will continue to provide services.

Funding certainty

To benefit from government funding, an outstation or homeland must be occupied for at least eight months of the year. The level of funding will depend on things like the population of the outstation or homeland and how close the nearest hub town is.

We are going to develop a Statement of Expectation of Service Delivery to outstation and homelands residents that will say how much help residents can expect from governments. Residents will be able to say how they want that funding spent.

More responsibility in the hands of residents

Most outstations and homelands are on private Aboriginal land so, like other Australians who live on private land in remote places, residents will be responsible for repairs and maintenance of housing and infrastructure. The government will continue to provide assistance to help residents with these responsibilities.

The government will not build new houses on outstations and homelands but will support residents to take responsibility for their properties.

More information: If you want to know more about Outstations and Homelands, you can call us on 08 8999 5270 or contact your local Government Business Manager.