Key activity 2

Performance Measure 2.1: Partnerships

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priorities are embedded in government policy, programs and investment through partnerships.

Rationale

This measure assesses how the NIAA works in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, ensuring that community priorities shape government decisions. The measure provides a meaningful indicator of how the NIAA promotes empowerment and self-determination through working in partnership.

This measure reflects 2 approaches that the NIAA undertakes to develop and maintain partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities:

» Partnerships through formal agreements – where shared decision-making is governed through formal agreements

» Working in partnership – a collaborative way of engaging based on mutual respect and shared goals, without necessarily involving a formal agreement.

Initial performance will be measured through ECs, an Indigenous designed and led model for shared decision-making and partnership in 10 regions. The 2025–26 performance result will establish a baseline through a co-designed partnership health check. This co-designed approach is based on best practice in shared governance, mutual accountability, and culturally responsive decision-making. This directly links to the measure by demonstrating how EC partnerships support a shared vision and enact the partnership principles in practice.

EC represents one type of partnership arrangement within the NIAA’s broader portfolio, with future measurement intended to expand to assess additional partnerships across programs and policy contexts. This will enable the NIAA to demonstrate shared decision-making and promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led priorities in line with the National Agreement’s partnership principles.

In 2025–26 and 2026–27, the NIAA will explore the development and integration of enhanced qualitative and quantitative assessments into this measure. This will strengthen evaluation of the NIAA’s contribution to embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priorities in government policy, programs, and investment. This work aligns with the overall intent of the measure and Key Activity 2, by supporting a more robust understanding of how the NIAA’s partnerships enable self determination and elevate community voice in decision-making.

The enhancements will draw on insights from the partnership register established under the 2024–25 Corporate Plan, which provides foundational data on the number, type, and maturity of the NIAA’s partnership arrangements. These refinements will improve the ability to demonstrate how the NIAA is fulfilling its leadership role under the National Agreement and progressing systemic change through strong, place-based and culturally grounded partnerships.

Planned performance results and targets

Methodology

a) Empowered Communities partnerships enable the shared vision of the partnership and enact the partnership principles Conduct an annual assessment using the EC Partnership Health Check (the Health Check), which is completed across all 10 EC regions. This will be designed with ECs through the ECs National Secretariat during 2025–26, and baselining will be conducted. The Health Check will combine qualitative and quantitative inputs to make the assessment, ensuring a direct link between the measure, the planned performance result, and the NIAA’s role in working in partnership.

A Health Check report will be produced as a data source for measurement. The operationalisation and facilitation of the Health Check will continue to be determined through the design process prior to being rolled out in the 2025–26 financial year.

Data Sources

Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected through the ECs partnership Health Check report which will be rolled out in the first instance in the 2025–26 financial year.

Basis of the Measure

Quantitative and qualitative measure of effectiveness for planned performance result a).

Link to 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statement

Program 1.7 – Program Support

Performance Measure 2.2: Housing

Increased access to secure and appropriate housing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, supporting improved housing outcomes.

Rationale

This measure assesses the impact of the NIAA’s performance in enabling increased access to secure and appropriate housing through partnerships that deliver tangible improvements in housing outcomes. It directly measures how the NIAA’s leadership and stewardship translate national housing commitments into improved living conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through strategic investment, policy influence, and oversight of national housing initiatives, the NIAA enables programs that are responsive to community priorities, address overcrowding, improve housing quality, and create sustainable pathways to long-term housing security.

Housing is a key factor in achieving better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The NIAA works in partnership with state and territory governments, which hold primary responsibility for housing services in Australia, to deliver better housing outcomes for remote communities. The Australian Government provides substantial funding to address homelessness, overcrowding, poor housing conditions, and to increase opportunities for home ownership. It is the NIAA’s role to work in partnership with governments, councils and communities to ensure policies, programs, and services support the self-determination and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This aligns directly with Key Activity 2 and the NIAA’s purpose by ensuring that housing delivery is community-informed and supports long-term housing security.

This measure initially assesses the completion of houses to reduce overcrowding in Northern Territory (NT) remote communities. This is through a joint Australian and NT Government $4 billion investment, and partnership arrangement to halve overcrowding by building up to 2,700 homes over 10-years and to carry out repairs and maintenance.

This measure will evolve to incorporate outcome indicators—such as improving housing conditions in other jurisdictions—providing a more comprehensive assessment of program impact. Over time, these additional elements will broaden the measure’s scope to reflect housing outcomes nationally, while retaining a focus on communities with the highest housing need. The NIAA will explore additional elements, including repairs and maintenance delivered under the Housing Australia Future Fund. These efforts will be delivered in partnership with states and territories and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, ensuring housing outcomes align with community priorities, support self-determination, and reflect the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Planned performance results and targets

Methodology

a) Completed houses in NT remote communities, delivered in partnership to halve overcrowding in the NT.

Assessed annually by comparing the number of houses completed in NT remote communities during the financial year against the agreed annual milestones set in the Remote Housing Work Plan. This provides a direct, quantitative measure of the planned performance result and links explicitly to the housing measure by assessing delivery against agreed housing targets to reduce overcrowding in the NT.

The result is expressed as the percentage of the annual target achieved, allowing for year-to-year variation while maintaining a consistent performance assessment approach. This approach enables clear year-on-year comparability and provides a reliable basis for assessing progress towards the overall housing outcome of reducing overcrowding in NT remote communities.

Data sources

Quantitative data is collected through quarterly progress reports developed through the Joint Steering Committee for Remote Housing NT.

Basis of the measure

This measure includes a quantitative measure of outputs for planned performance result a).

Link to 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statement PBS

Program 1.1 Jobs, Land and the Economy.

Performance Measure 2.3: NT Remote Aboriginal Investment

Aboriginal people in remote Northern Territory communities have access to essential services that support progress towards socio-economic targets.

Rationale

This measure assesses the NIAA’s performance in working in partnership to enable access to essential services through the NTRAI Partnership Agreement, supporting the self-determination and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NTRAI is a bilateral funding agreement between the Australian Government and the NT Government to deliver essential services in remote communities. However, this measure incorporates the signing of a landmark tri-lateral Partnership Agreement between the Australian Government, the NT Government and Aboriginal Peak Organisations NT (APONT). The tri-lateral Partnership Agreement embeds Indigenous leadership in the design, decision making and accountability of service delivery. The investment supports coordinated efforts to address needs in areas such as early childhood, education, community safety, health, and Aboriginal interpreter services.

In 2025–26 and 2026–27, this measure assesses the achievement of all planned transition arrangements to secure continuity of services and establish a foundation for program delivery. Delivering these arrangements is a direct demonstration of the NIAA’s performance, showing its ability to coordinate multiple partners, maintain governance, and meet agreed timelines. This directly contributes to Key Activity 2 by strengthening partnerships that support self-determination and Closing the Gap targets. The NIAA’s leadership in convening the Joint Steering Committee, negotiating and finalising funding schedules, and embedding shared decision-making processes reflect its ability in managing complex partnerships. These contributions ensure the partnership is positioned to deliver on its purpose, contribute to Closing the Gap priorities and improves outcomes for remote NT communities.

The NIAA’s partnership with the NT Government and APONT through the Joint Steering Committee is central to Key Activity 2 and demonstrate the NIAA’s role in supporting self-determination by embedding Indigenous leadership in program design and delivery.

To mature performance measurement over the Corporate Plan period, the NIAA will investigate the integration of monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) mechanisms developed in partnership with APONT and the NT Government to support the long term tracking of outcomes and contribution to Closing the Gap targets.

Planned performance results and targets

Methodology

a) NIAA-led Northern Territory Remote Aboriginal Investment transition arrangements for 2025–26 have been completed as agreed.

Assessed by calculating the proportion of planned transition arrangements completed by the NIAA during the reporting period, with completion verified through formal documentation such as endorsed Joint Steering Committee minutes, executed funding agreements, and agreed schedules. The NIAA coordinates the implementation process, manages program governance arrangements, tracks deliverables against the NTRAI Implementation Plan, and ensures timely endorsement of completed milestones by all parties. The completion rate will be determined by comparing the number of completed arrangements against the total planned for the reporting year.

As the MEAL framework is implemented, the methodology will expand, ensuring that future performance assessment captures both service continuity and the effectiveness of services in meeting community priorities.

Data Sources

Quantitative data is collected through the NTRAI Joint Steering Committee records managed by the NIAA.

Basis of the Measure

Quantitative measure of outputs for planned performance result a).

Link to 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statement PBS

Program 1.5 Remote Australia Strategies and PBS Program 1.7 – Program Support.