Residents in the Northern Territory feel they have been missing out on new housing assistance for more than 15 years, particularly at towns like Elliott.
The Federal and NT Government’s $1.7bn 10-year housing program apparently “bypassed” the Indigenous communities on the town’s edge, including Gurungu and Wilyugu, the ABC reports.
The Abbott administration earlier revealed its plans to cut affordable housing subsidies, including for Australia’s Indigenous people in remote areas.
Shaun Brian, a Gurungu resident, is a full-time carer for his sick grandmother – and they both live in a two-bedroom house that usually has 16 people. He said in an interview with ABC that at times, 10 people would take shelter on the kitchen floor.
"It seems to me that we are the town that the Government has forgotten," Brian said. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't live in a house like this.”
Similarly, Gurungu resident Lora Jackson said her house caters to 12 people from three generations.
"This house hasn't been renovated in years," she said. "The only thing they put in here was the cupboards in the room."
"We need the Government to help us out with our renovations and that.
"We don't want to keep living in houses like this. It's not liveable. It's not healthy for our kids."
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