High court overturns NT housing policy which tripled rent in some remote Indigenous communities

Homes in the remote community of Laramba, 230km north of Alice Springs, were among those affected by the rent increases Photograph: Supplied

A public housing policy which saw tenants in the Northern Territory charged a flat rental rate based on the number of bedrooms in their home has been ruled unlawful by the high court, after a three-year challenge brought by residents from two remote Indigenous communities.

The Remote Rental Framework, introduced in stages by the NT government between December 2021 and February 2023, raised rent by up to 200% for two-thirds of Aboriginal tenants living in remote communities in the NT, with more than 5,300 homes affected.