= FREE April 2016 VOLUME 6. NUMBER 1. TENANTSPG. ## HIT THE ROOF ABOUT REMOTE HOUSING FAILURE BIG ELECTION YEAR 2016 “NO” TO NUKE DUMP CRICKETERS SHINE P. 5 PG. # P. 6 PG. # P. 30 ISSN 1839-5279ISSN NEWS EDITORIAL Land Rights News Central Australia is published by the Central Land Council three Pressure rises as remote tenants take government to court times a year. AS A SECOND central The Central Land Council Australian community has 27 Stuart Hwy launched legal action against the Northern Territory Alice Springs government and an Alice NT 0870 Springs town camp is following tel: 89516211 suit, the Giles government is under increasing pressure to www.clc.org.au change how it manages remote email [email protected] community and town camp Contributions are welcome houses. Almost a third of Papunya households lodged claims for compensation through SUBSCRIPTIONS the Northern Territory Civil Land Rights News Central Administrative Tribunal in Australia subscriptions are March, over long delays in $20 per year. emergency repairs. A week later, half of the LRNCA is distributed free Larapinta Valley Town Camp Santa Teresa tenant Annie Young says the state of houses in her community has never been worse. to Aboriginal organisations tenants notified the housing and communities in Central department of 160 overdue water all over the front yard, sort told ABC Alice Springs. “Compensation is an Australia repairs, following a survey of like a swamp area,” Katie told “There’s some sort of inertia entitlement under the To subscribe email: by the Central Australian ABC. Some had wires exposed, or blockage in the system that [Residential Tenancies] Act,” [email protected] Aboriginal Legal Aid Service air conditioners not working, when tenants report things he told ABC Alice Springs. (CAALAS). stoves not working, showers and action isn’t taken.” “We’ll certainly be pursuing Legal action for over 300 bathrooms, kitchen sinks, taps Very similar problems raised that on behalf of our clients about town camps in the if they’ve been forced to live ADVERTISING Territory who operate under the in these conditions and have Land Rights News visited Papunya and Santa Teresa as lawyers same structure have triggered been paying for something they Advertise in the only were surveying over 100 households. Residents shared their an NT parliamentary inquiry. haven’t gotten.” newspaper to reach frustrations and worries about the remote housing system. The inquiry into repairs and Aboriginal people maintenance of town camp “Not fit for humans” next week’.” houses heard that the system in remote Central Inside the house the is clogged by bureaucracy and Santa Teresa resident Annie swampy is switched on but Australia. confusing for tenants. Young say the state of the doesn’t seem to be doing ABC News reported that houses in her community has much. Next publication date: requests for repairs in town never been as bad as it is now. Phillip says when he Aug 2016 camps in Alice Springs and She says the houses are old, switches it off, water drips Nov 2016\ Tennant Creek go through three overcrowded and riddled with from the ceiling onto the floor. layers of communication. serious problems. Many of the “It’s getting hot and hard to The resident calls a tenancy houses contain asbestos and Rates are available online sleep,” says Phillip. management provider, such as when it rains people move out at www.clc.org.au/land- Like many in the community, private company Zodiac, which of the houses because they’re rights-news OR email: Phillip is left to deal with then notifies the Department of frightened of being exposed. [email protected] OR call repairs and maintenance Phillip Lane shares a Papunya Housing, which in turn supplies “I see people in these 1970s 89516211 himself. house with his wife and seven a contractor to do the work. houses, people living with those Fed up with waiting, he children and grandchildren. The department’s deputy asbestos stickers on their door fixed a wiring fault that was His evaporative air CEO Jim Bamber admitted and I’ve asked government CONGRATULATIONS causing the power to trip conditioner hasn’t worked there was some confusion but people before, ‘is it safe?’ out whenever the stove was in years and the outdoor said the many steps provided “Because they’ve got ceilings turned on. taps, vital for keeping cool in employment for local people. falling down, these white things “Me and my wife just drove summer, are broken. “We were continually told falling down, I have seen people over to the dump and we seen “It’s been like this for a long when we visit communities getting sick, swollen faces … one stove,” he says. time,” the 74 year old says. ‘we’ve got people who want to What’s that? What’s the next “I jumped out of my vehicle “I ask them ‘I got a problem work’,” he told the inquiry. step for that?” and I got the wire from that old with my water and I got a NTCAT ordered the NT In an interview with ABC’s stove, took him out, bring him problem with my house, can I government to complete over Radio National, NT housing down here, now it’s working.” get someone to help me’? 600 repairs in Santa Teresa, minister Bess Price admitted “They say ‘sorry, come back including leaking roofs, that Aboriginal housing was electrical faults and faulty unacceptable. repairs in Papunya was broken. plumbing. “I’ve visited communities, withdrawn late last year after “They [the contractors] were Daniel Kelly says the where the houses have been the government heard about out there within seven days…we government says it has built in the eighties, and it’s not the plans and quickly sent were very pleased but it’s very completed about 500 repairs. fit for humans,” she said. contractors to start fixing the sad that the department simply His next step in the tribunal will Chair of Aboriginal Housing Patrick Dodson, CLC director problems. jumps when there’s a threat of be claims for compensation. from 1985 - 1989. But CAALAS lawyer Katie legal action.” Artwork by Chips Mackinolty. Gordon says 14 tenants are The government also reacted shed, had no door handle and seeking compensation for the promptly after Santa Teresa couldn’t be locked. Congratulations on your tenants took legal action in Jasmine said she was Senate nomination, Pat length of time they had to wait. February. concerned for the health and Dodson! “I’ve done a Freedom of Information request for the After surveying the safety of her family. Your foray into federal housing files,” she told ABC community, Australian She’d once caught her nine politics will raise the bar in Radio National. Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal year old daughter trying to the Senate, the Labor Party “[The files show that] Rights (ALRAR) notified the turn on a broken electrical and beyond. people had informed housing department of repairs needed switch in the kitchen with a “Whether it's the maintenance officers of the in 70 houses. knife. recognition process, the problems…the maintenance When ALRAR received no “I’ve had all these problems, rights of traditional land officers had told housing but reply, it lodged claims at the inside the house and outside,” owners in the Northern still nothing had happened.” tribunal. When lawyers surveyed she said. Territory, native title holders Lawyers from CAALAS and ALRAR director and former Jasmine Cavanagh’s house “Me and my kids didn’t have across the country, one thing the CLC surveyed 37 of the 48 CLC lawyer Daniel Kelly helped in Santa Teresa, they found a [working] shower for almost Pat Dodson has never shirked houses in Papunya last year survey the houses. problems including serious two weeks, we had to go to his ability to speak on behalf and identified more than 300 “It appears to us that the electrical faults, roof leaks family’s house.” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait repairs. repairs and maintenance and a broken oven. “I hope all these houses get Islander peoples.” (David “There were a lot of clogged system around housing in the Her ‘front door’, which knocked down and they build Ross). pipes outside and one house had Territory just doesn’t work,” he would be more suited to a new ones.” 2 April 2016 NEWS Pressure rises as remote tenants take government to court Childcare worker Courtney The top down approach of the housing services and service Ward (cover page) is 18 years Department of Housing hasn’t delivery, the strategy reflects old and lives with four other worked.” a business as usual approach adults and a ten year old boy. Ms Price’s admission comes that will continue to fail Until very recently, an amid revelations that her remote communities,” said CLC electrical fault meant that department no longer charges director David Ross. she had no power in half rent for houses in another But since the Santa Teresa of the house, including the remote community because legal action there have been kitchen. they are in a state of disrepair some signs that the government They lived like this for at that is bad even by the NT’s may be listening. least nine months. poor standards. Adam Giles told ABC News The NT News reported that that the government will release “We used a portable Suzette Ward lives with the government has given up a new model for community member’s house. electric stove and cooked in partner Jeremiah Butcher and on rent collection for some housing before the August “When we put something the lounge room,” she says.