Tangentyere Council chief calls for housing takeover to fix ‘shocking’ town camps after Kumanyaji Little Baby death
Alice Springs’ town camp official has defended his organization against accusations of negligence following the alleged murder of Little Baby Kumanyaji, placing the blame on the Northern Territory government bureaucracy.
In an interview on the ABC’s 7.30 programme, Tangentyere Council chief executive Walter Shaw said the council was “constrained” by district contracts in terms of what it “wants to be” regarding the maintenance of housing in 16 fringe communities.
The comments follow intense national focus on the 16 camps following recent allegations that five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was abducted from a camp house and murdered.
Public anger grew further following the tragedy, as images widely published in the media revealed the dilapidated state of the house to which the woman was taken.
“I think the tragedy around Little Baby Kumanjayi should trigger change,” Mr Shaw said at 7.30am.
Those living in the camps face ongoing problems such as broken locks, faulty plumbing, overcrowding and uninvited, drunk visitors.
Tangentyere has not published an annual report on its website for four years.
But Mr Shaw rejected claims of secrecy, saying the council remained transparent.
“We have disclosed our funding to the rest of Australia and the rest of the world, and that is as transparent as possible,” he said.
Family members of camp residents in the town expressed disappointment with their living standards.
Kumanjayi Little Baby’s grandfather, Robin Japanangka Granites, said that at 7.30am, their camp house was completely destroyed.
“It’s all dirty, the grass is so thick and tall you can see the marks in the paint, the holes in the roof, the holes in the cement,” Mr. Granites said.
“Everything was like in the First and Second World War. That’s how damaging it is for us to live in town camps. I (Tangentyere) would rather do more than what they are doing now.”
Mr Shaw, who has led the council for more than 15 years, said maintenance duties had been delayed by a complex, multi-tiered rental system.
Under the current framework, the Commonwealth leases the land to the NT government, which then pays for the basic maintenance of Tangentyere.
Mr Shaw said individual repair jobs required lengthy approvals from the regional government.
“I can see that some of our houses in the town camps are quite shocking,” Mr Shaw said.
“But when it is not up to me to allow a home to be improved and brought into standard living conditions, governments are forced to take responsibility for how we all manage our homes, whether in urban camps or remote communities.
NT Housing Minister Steve Edgington acknowledged government processing times were delaying repairs and the current framework required systematic reform.
“Based on some of the reports I’ve seen, some of these reports are taking too long to be reviewed,” Mr. Edgington said.
Stories about broken locks and unsafe homes “are unacceptable and I don’t accept it,” he added.
While the Minister confirmed that Tangentyere met current reporting requirements, he noted that it would take time to reverse decades of underinvestment.
NT Police Commander James Gray-Spence defended local policing, saying officers often used sweeping powers to crack down on alcohol use at the camps.
To resolve bureaucratic delays, Tangentyere Municipality is proposing a move to an independent public housing model.
Mr. Shaw believes taking full control of the camps would eliminate red tape and foresees a potential handover within three years if federal and provincial leaders agree.
“Our desire is to move towards a social housing model and embrace that in a way that Tangentyere will eventually take on social responsibility,” Mr Shaw said.
The federal government said remote housing improvements remain a priority under the NT Remote Housing Package, in line with its Closing the Gap commitments to support community-controlled organisations.
