AUSTRALIA 
Alice Springs town camps to sign lease
Thursday, 26 June, 2008
Families and Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin (AAP)
The troubled town camps of Alice Springs will hand over control of housing and essential services to the Rudd government for the next 40 years.
In a $50 million deal with Canberra, Tangentyere Council has voted unanimously in favour of the landmark agreement.
The 19 camps rejected the Howard government's $60 million offer for a 99-year lease.
The new government has offered a $50 million housing boost, with an immediate $5.3 million transitional payment.
"The first thing we will do is get in there and start upgrading the houses and upgrading the infrastructure," Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin told today's ABC AM program.
"There's no question that we need some urgent action."
Ms Macklin said the new scheme, which she hopes to use as a national model, would allow town campers to eventually buy the land.
"If people have the capacity to take a loan and want to buy their own home, one of the other opportunities that the Northern Territory Housing Authority has is that people can have a shared equity arrangement," she said.
But Ms Macklin said more than just housing needed to change for the squalid situation in the camps to improve.
"We not only need to stop the flow of alcohol into the town camps," she said.
"We need to get people trained and capable and into the workforce."
NT Minister for Child Protection Marion Scrymgour said it was time for change.
"At the end of the day, it's not acceptable for kids to be living in some of our town camp situations that we see in Alice Springs and we do have to fix it," she said.
The deal is expected to be finalised early next month.
Source: AAP
In a $50 million deal with Canberra, Tangentyere Council has voted unanimously in favour of the landmark agreement.
The 19 camps rejected the Howard government's $60 million offer for a 99-year lease.
The new government has offered a $50 million housing boost, with an immediate $5.3 million transitional payment.
"The first thing we will do is get in there and start upgrading the houses and upgrading the infrastructure," Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin told today's ABC AM program.
"There's no question that we need some urgent action."
Ms Macklin said the new scheme, which she hopes to use as a national model, would allow town campers to eventually buy the land.
"If people have the capacity to take a loan and want to buy their own home, one of the other opportunities that the Northern Territory Housing Authority has is that people can have a shared equity arrangement," she said.
But Ms Macklin said more than just housing needed to change for the squalid situation in the camps to improve.
"We not only need to stop the flow of alcohol into the town camps," she said.
"We need to get people trained and capable and into the workforce."
NT Minister for Child Protection Marion Scrymgour said it was time for change.
"At the end of the day, it's not acceptable for kids to be living in some of our town camp situations that we see in Alice Springs and we do have to fix it," she said.
The deal is expected to be finalised early next month.
Source: AAP
