Indigenous mayors in Canberra call for remote housing funding

More than 150 mayors from across Australia have called out the Turnbull government's failure to commit money for housing in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

House under construction and worker

The remote housing deal between the Queensland and federal governments will end on June 30. Source: AAP

Mayors from across Australia have taken the Turnbull government to task for failing to stump up cash for housing in remote Indigenous communities.

A motion moved by Palm Island Mayor Alf Lacey, which accused the federal government of failing to commit long term funding, passed 173 votes to 16 at the Australian Local Government Association's national general assembly in Canberra on Tuesday.

"Failure to do this risks reversing the gains made in these communities to Close the Gap of Indigenous disadvantage in Australia," the motion reads.

"Refusal to provide funding will have catastrophic impacts on the social, educational and health outcomes including increased mental health and family violence in these communities."
A jointly-funded remote housing deal between the Queensland and federal governments will end on June 30.

Mr Lacey said about 10 per cent of Palm Island residents were on the waitlist for a home.

"There's overcrowding, you don't need to be Einstein to work it all out," he said.

Mr Lacey said funding provided by the Queensland and federal governments over the past decade fell short of the demands of a growing population.

"We're not in the business of political argy-bargy of whether Labor's good or the LNP's good, it's about delivering for people on the ground," he said.
A delegation of Indigenous mayors from Queensland will meet with federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion on Tuesday afternoon in a last-ditch lobbying effort for new money.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk wrote to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in March with the promise of $1.08 billion over 10 years.

The state government allocated $239 million in last week's budget to keep projects running during ongoing negotiations with the Commonwealth, which did not include funding in its May budget.

AAP

Share
2 min read
Published 19 June 2018 4:12pm


Share this with family and friends