In dealing with these matters, the department The cameras will be a safety tool for officers considers all the circumstances, including the to reduce incidents of complaints and assaults psychological and social needs of the tenancy, and to gather evidence and record antisocial and attempts to engage with tenants to develop behaviour, damage and other issues with public strategies to help them sustain their tenancy. housing premises. This includes referring tenants to tenancy support programs delivered by non-government Central Renal organisations that are funded by the department. Accommodation project The Visitor Management Policy helps the On 22 June 2015, the Australian and Northern department manage public housing visitors. Territory governments struck a $10 million It supports tenants to maintain positive agreement for the delivery of family-centric neighbourhood community relationships, renal accommodation in and manage their private space and protect the Tennant Creek and dialysis infrastructure and quiet environment of their properties and the staff accommodation in Kaltukatjara, neighbourhood. and Mount Liebig. The renal infrastructure and accommodation will allow better access to renal Terminations and possessions care and accommodation for remote Central of public housing Australian renal patients and their families. Public housing properties are managed in Following a public competitive process, the Central accordance with the Housing Act and the Residential Australian Affordable Housing Company (CAAHC) Tenancies Act. When a tenant breaches their was selected to refurbish and manage 10 homes legal obligations, the department may initiate - eight in Alice Springs and two in Tennant Creek. compliance action, including terminating a tenancy In August 2016, CAAHC started upgrading the THE DEPARTMENT and taking possession of a premises. houses. Two homes were allocated to families in June 2017, and the remaining homes will be The department makes every effort to help tenants completed and ready for clients and their families sustain their tenancy. However, it may launch to move into from July 2017. compliance action to terminate a tenancy and take possession of a public housing property when The construction of new renal clinics and required. three-bedroom renal nurse accommodation in Kaltukatjara and Papunya commenced in March The department may also terminate a tenancy if 2017 and is expected to be completed by the third the premises has become inhabitable or if a drug quarter of 2017. The dialysis clinic upgrade work premises order has been made. at Mount Liebig also commenced in early 2017 and In 2016–17, the department terminated 11 is now complete, with services to commence in the tenancies. Six tenancies were terminated through third quarter of 2017. orders granted by the Civil and Administrative Tribunal and five by issuing a Notice of Termination.

Body-worn video cameras After the NT Police’s successful trial and deployment of body-worn video cameras, the department drafted instructions to introduce them for all public housing safety officers in Darwin and Alice Springs. Ground work to implement the cameras was done in 2016–17, including work with IT and Business Support teams to develop a project implementation plan.

ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 51