''That's on the back burner at the moment,'' he said. ''Our first priority is the commercial build.''

But the state government, which has its own Aboriginal housing program, is unlikely to give any money.

''The Department of Family and Community Services is currently not involved in the Block in Redfern, nor is it currently dealing with any funding applications for the project,'' a spokesman for the department said.

And federal government rental assistance money committed by the previous Labor administration was rejected by the AHC when it discovered, under the terms of the funding, administrators could be appointed if the organisation ran into trouble.

Nonetheless, he said they were relying on government for any affordable, Aboriginal housing at the site, bordered by Eveleigh, Vine, Louis and Caroline streets, near Redfern railway station.