Up to $70 million has been committed to Alice Springs, and will be allocated to improving short term accommodation options for Indigenous people, as well as looking toward converting town camps in Alice Springs to normal suburban areas.

“It is welcome news that the Australian Government has made this commitment to our community, and is not ignoring the major issues we face resulting from the lack of appropriate housing for our Indigenous people in Alice Springs,” said Mayor Fran Kilgariff.

“Our Indigenous accommodation and housing problems are most definitely unique to Alice Springs – there is no other community in Australia that faces issues like ours at this scale, and the Government has proven today that we are not out of sight, out of mind,” said Mayor Fran Kilgariff.

“If the Australian Government remains committed to ensuring the short-term accommodation is well run and managed appropriately within the community, the benefits will be long-term for the whole of Central Australia,” said Mayor Fran Kilgariff.

“Although the Alice Springs Town Council did object to the Dalgety Road site for short-term accommodation, the decision has now been made and we need to get on with it. We can now only look forward to the future and hope for positive results from this enormous financial commitment,” said Mayor Fran Kilgariff

Alice Springs Town Council also hopes the goal of the Australian Government to normalise town camps in Alice Springs will also be achieved. Once individual residences in the town camps are classified as rate-paying properties, the Alice Springs Town Council looks forward to integrating them into Council’s municipal services.

“The conditions faced by people living in these camps can no longer be ignored, and Council hopes that we can work collaboratively with Tangentyere Council, Lhere Artepe, all levels of Government and begin the move forward for the people of Alice Springs,” said Mayor Fran Kilgariff.

For further information contact:

Mayor Fran Kilgariff (08) 8950 0525 or 0419 376 060

ASTC Chief Executive Officer Rex Mooney (08) 8950 0525 or 0427 161 956

ASTC Media Officer Fionn Muster (08) 8950 0546 or 0417 884 449