Aboriginal Housing Office

Provider registration overview

Aboriginal organisations must register with the AHO to receive assistance from the AHO.

Registration types

Organisations can be registered as an:

  • Aboriginal Community Housing Provider (ACHP), which allows them to manage AHO properties and be considered for assistance from the AHO. This  may include funding, housing management and construction, transfer or lease of property, grants, subsidies and business support.
  • Aboriginal Community Housing Organisation (ACHO) if they own their own properties. This status makes it possible to receive AHO assistance but not manage AHO-owned properties. Registrations for new ACHOs are no longer being accepted. 

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for registration with the AHO, an organisation must:

  • be an eligible body under the Aboriginal Housing Act 1998 and 
  • achieve registration under the registration systems (National Regulatory System for Community Housing or the NSW Local Scheme).
Become an ACHP
Find out how to register as an ACHP.
List of registered providers
See which organisations are registered under NRSCH or the NSWLS.
List of ACHOs
List of approved Aboriginal Community Housing Organisations

Registration systems and schemes

The Registrar of Community Housing oversees non-government organisations that provide community housing for people who have very low, low or moderate incomes. The Registrar ensures that community housing meets the housing needs of tenants and government and investor requirements.

The two registration systems that the Registrar oversees are:

National Regulatory System for Community Housing (NRSCH)

The NRSCH aims to ensure a well governed, well managed and viable community housing sector that meets the housing needs of tenants and provides assurance for government and investors.

The NRSCH seeks a clear separation between regulatory activities, and state and territory policy and funding activities. The Registrar is an independent statutory officer appointed by the NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services to carry out the functions established under the National Law for Community Housing Providers. The scope of a Registrar’s functions under the NRSCH is limited to regulatory activities.

NSW Local Scheme (NSWLS)

In October 2016, NSW Parliament enacted an amendment to the Community Housing Providers (Adoption of National Law) Act 2012 [NSW] (the Act) to establish a local system of registration, monitoring and regulation of entities that provide community housing but are unable to be registered under the Community Housing Providers National Law (NSW).

In August 2017, under section 25A of the Act, the NSW Minister for FACS directed the Registrar to commence the NSWLS that:

  • as far as reasonably practicable, is consistent with the NRSCH
  • does not include the ‘wind-up’ condition of registration under the Act, whilst ensuring that any assets or assistance provided by the NSW Government is appropriately protected
  • initially focuses on registering NSW Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs).

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