News: Minister meets Elliott residents in ongoing housing crisis
The Minister for Local Government and Community Services met with residents of the Elliott community last week to discuss the housing crisis.
Posted: Thursday, 17 September 2015
Minister Bess Price responded to an invitation to talk to residents
about the Elliott housing crisis in a meeting facilitated by Barkly Regional Council
(BRC) on Wednesday, 10 September.
“I would like to work together with all of you,” Minister Price told the meeting including BRC President Barb Shaw, councillors Bob Bagnall and Ray Aylett and Elliott Local Authority Chair Chris Neade.
“I am determined to make a difference,” she said.
Mr Neade had written to Ms Price on behalf of residents outlining the key issues including overcrowding, housing beyond repair and confusion over Land Tenure issues.
“I am a carpenter by trade and run the housing maintenance for the council in Elliott. Many of the houses are not worth spending money on because they are beyond repair but we try to keep them liveable because we have no choice but to try,” he wrote.
“Why is this? Elliott sits in no man’s land. We have Land Tenure issues, which no one seems to want to sort out and no one can actually tell us how to sort it out.
“We think responsibility falls back to the Northern Land Council (NLC) but they won’t take responsibility. The Commonwealth Government is not interested in negotiating any new leases in communities and the Northern Territory Government says it has no money.”
For a full copy of the Media Release download here