Students tackle Aboriginal housing issues hands-on

Medicine/Architecture

Architecture and medical students at the University of Adelaide have joined forces for an innovative new project which could lead to a better understanding of the housing issues faced by Australia's indigenous population.

A new subject called "Healthy Environments" and taught by Architecture Lecturer Elizabeth Grant has allowed students from both disciplines to explore approaches to achieving safe, healthy and sustainable built environments for Aboriginal Australians.

The subject enables undergraduate students in the Bachelors of both Medicine and Design Studies to work collaboratively, learn professional consulting skills and develop an understanding of the importance of housing to health outcomes.

Working with the State Government's Aboriginal Housing Authority and supported by a team of plumbers, electricians, data analysts and other trades, students recently conducted a survey and fix of housing at Davenport Aboriginal Community, just outside Port Augusta (about 300km north of Adelaide).

Over three days, students visited every Davenport house, and after receiving the consent of the resident, interviewed them, surveyed the working condition of the house and fixed its non-functioning elements.

The data gathered during the survey will be used with the results from other surveys by government to form a national picture of the condition of Aboriginal community housing.

Associate Professor Jonathon Newbury from the Department of General Practice said: "It's a unique opportunity for students to have experiences of an Aboriginal community while doing something very practical.

"The students worked exceptionally hard at Davenport knowing that they were improving living conditions."

Students also organised a community barbeque and met with other stakeholders such as Pika Wiya and Nunkuwarrin Yunti Aboriginal Health Services, and the Spencer Gulf Rural Health School at Port Augusta.

"All the stakeholder groups are very keen to meet and encourage the students. The benefits of working with other practitioners are immense," said Ms Grant.

"Students can observe that within professional life, medical practitioners, health care professionals, architects and other design professionals must work collaboratively in this area to achieve improvements to Aboriginal health and housing."