Some 90% of First Nations who responded to a recent Heat Survey say their homes get too hot and they're struggling to afford their energy bills.

First Nations are also twice as likely as others surveyed to seek heat-related medical attention.

Some 90% of First Nations who responded to a recent Heat Survey say their homes get too hot and they're struggling to afford their energy bills.

First Nations are also twice as likely as others surveyed to seek heat-related medical attention.

Distributed by ACOSS Australian Council of Social Service in partnership with the First Nations Energy Network and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association (NATSIHA), the annual survey is tracking the intersection between heat, housing, energy costs, and people experiencing financial and social disadvantage.

The ACOSS final report states the situation facing First Nations people surveyed is worse on most indicators and must be prioritised for solutions.

Read the report here

Almost everyone is heating up with hot summer temperatures. For people living in poorly designed homes and who aren’t able to run fans and air-conditioning, that can mean indoor temperatures of over 45 degrees.  

Exposure to high heat is a major threat to human health. More people die in Australia from heatwaves than all other extreme events combined. With climate change, Australia is becoming hotter. Very hot days and heatwaves are becoming more common.

People experiencing financial and social disadvantage are worst impacted by these events. Those worst affected experience a combination of:

• homes with poor energy performance;
• high energy prices;
• low incomes; and
• health conditions.

A Heat survey distributed from December 2023 to January 2024 found the majority of 1007 people that we surveyed (80.4%) said their homes get too hot. This was often to do with being in homes with low energy efficiency (e.g., no insulation or shading, dark roofing, no eaves).

The report found people most likely to struggle to cool their homes were:

• First Nations people (71.9%), two thirds of whom were in social or private rental, and more than three-quarters of whom were receiving income support;
• people in social housing (78.3%) or private rental (65.7%) with limited control to modify their home or access working efficient air conditioners to better deal with extreme temperatures;
• people receiving income support (60.8%) with limited resources to modify their homes, afford air-conditioning or fans, or afford the running costs to cool their home.
  
  

Read the full report here

A new national survey has found over 70% of First Nations people struggle to cool their homes.

We could be in for one of the hottest summers on record! For people living in poorly designed houses, that could mean facing indoor temperatures of over 45 degrees Celsius.