Concern for economic reality of Aboriginal camps
The economic conditions of run-down Indigenous camps where a little girl was abducted and later murdered came under fire in a parliamentary inquiry more than a decade after the changes were proposed.
There are 17 communities on the outskirts of Alice Springs, known as town camps, where 1050 permanent residents from multi-generational Aboriginal families live.
The alleged murder of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby at the Old Timers camp in April has renewed calls for better infrastructure and employment opportunities.
A complex system of sublease and housing management agreements involving local groups and the federal and Northern Territory governments has made it difficult for communities to achieve meaningful economic gains, the Senate estimates committee heard.
County rental general manager Pennie Weadon said his team had repeatedly made recommendations to the Northern Territory government for better economic opportunities in the camps.
“We suggested they review the legislative instrument to allow for subdivision and also look at permitted uses,” Liberal NT senator Jacinta Nampijinpa said in response to Price’s questions.
Tangentyere Council Aboriginal CorporationConsisting of 15 housing associations, it manages camps in the city and is responsible for social and infrastructure services.
But it is difficult to make money in communities outside of government funding. The last census showed that the collective average weekly income of four people per household was $757.
Permissible uses of the land are limited; In most cases, only communal living, housing and cultural activities are permitted.
Most camps rely heavily on one-off government grants to get by, and changes to this system were proposed in 2017.
“Investing in growth in urban camps, which present impossible realities of economic integration, will only continue to multiply existing problems,” the report said, citing limited work opportunities in the camps.
Residents called on the Northern Territory government in April to return the camps to community control following the death of Little Baby Kumanjayi.
Many of these residents must shop at large supermarkets or local stores, where produce and takeaways are expensive compared to city prices, according to a Deloitte report commissioned by the Northern Territory government a decade ago.
Officially recognized in the 1970s, the camps were established while elements of the White Australia Policy were still in force. At that time, Aboriginal people were banned from entering Alice Springs.
Their populations vary, with many remote Aboriginal families entering their lands for health services before returning, increasing pressure on services.
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