The housing shortage in the Northern Territory is now so desperate that families are being forced to live in tents.
The Territory’s buoyant economy has drawn people from interstate to flood to the area. Tradespeople and construction workers often have no problems finding work but finding a property is a different story.
House prices have rocketed, with the median in Darwin now reaching $450,000, and there is huge demand for rental properties.
Welfare groups are saying that they are giving out tents in desperation and have people living in unsecure accommodation, including sheds and parks.
This comes as a new opinion poll reveals that 70 per cent of Australians believe that improving the housing conditions of indigenous people in the Northern Territory should be a high or very high priority for the federal government.
However, the survey also found that for 58 per cent of respondents Australian politicians do not know enough about indigenous history and culture to develop effective policy for indigenous people.
Fifty seven per cent of those surveyed also felt that the living conditions of some indigenous people is negatively affecting Australia’s reputation overseas.?
The Nielsen survey was conducted nationally from 13-15 August with 1,400 respondents aged 18 and over.
“These are really important findings which show clearly that most Australians want to see the federal government take a new approach to improve the situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in this country,” said Rodney Dillon, Amnesty International’s indigenous rights coordinator.
“The poll shows that most people simply don’t have faith that politicians know what they’re doing when they devise policy on Indigenous matters. This reinforces our view that the only way to make effective policy in this area is through real knowledge and understanding of Indigenous culture, and real partnerships with Indigenous people themselves.”
