First Nations woman’s home ownership dream for her kids

Arika Appleby, 28, has given up on the Australian dream of owning her own home. She just wants stability for her children.

Pregnant First Nations woman Arika Appleby, 28, said that she had to move in with her parents in Townsville because she could not afford to adapt to rent increases. She sees home ownership as a pipeline dream but would like to do so for the stability of her children. Picture: Chris Burns

Kelso mother Arika Appleby, 28, has given up on the Australian dream of owning her own home, because she does not see it as financially realistic.

The First Nations woman had to move in with her parents in November after rent increases made it unaffordable for her, and she has a five-year-old child as well as a baby due in April.

Ms Appleby would like to own her own house because of the stability and sense of ownership that it would bring to her children’s lives.

While she understood the Queensland government was taking action to improving the housing situation through a $3.1b housing plan, she wanted to consider the details and its terms before she knew if it would make a difference to her.

“I’m not all about the greatest Australian dream of owning a home and having a white picket fence and a dog and three kids and a cat and all the rest of it,” Ms Appleby said.

Pregnant First Nations woman Arika Appleby, 28, said that she had to move in with her parents in Townsville because she could not afford to adapt to rent increases. She sees home ownership as a pipeline dream but would like to do so for the stability of her children. Picture: Chris Burns

“That’s not my vibe.

“I want to be able to give commitment to my kids to be able to put a roof over their head and sustain a normal lifestyle where they can come home to their own room every afternoon.

“Have dinner at the table, and sit down and have good meaningful conversations as a family, that’s what’s important to me.”

Pregnant First Nations woman Arika Appleby, 28, said that she had to move in with her parents in Townsville because she could not afford to adapt to rent increases. She sees home ownership as a pipeline dream but would like to do so for the stability of her children. Picture: Chris Burns

Ms Applyby works for a not-for-profit organisation, had family to support her, and believed that there were many people worse off than her.

But she said that First Nations people were particularly vulnerable to the situation because of numerous issues including health and pay disparities.

She said overcrowding into houses also created tension which could lead to situations of domestic violence with no easy way of escaping the situation, and that health issues from outer communities brought people to Townsville and kept them in the area.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said global factors had caused 13 increases to interest rates within two years, while almost 250,000 people had moved to Queensland from either overseas or interstate since borders reopened from the pandemic.

“Unlike previous periods of mass migration, many of the people moving here are either coming for study or are already university educated. So these new Queenslanders aren’t people taking up the tools to build new houses,” he said.

Mr Miles announced a new housing plan aimed at building more houses, supporting renters and helping first homeowners.

Mr Miles said the government aimed to have built one million new houses within 22 years, with almost all of these for the private market.

He said the government would help renters by funding bond loans, portable bonds, and by banning rent bidding.

First homeowner grants would be doubled to $30,000 and the state government would also add to the federal government’s ‘Help to Buy’ scheme.

Social housing would be increased to ensure 53,500 homes were available by 2046, and there would be an expansion to critical teams to alleviate homelessness.

Originally published as First Nations woman’s home ownership dream for her kids