The Camp is located on NT Government land, under a special purpose lease, and as such the NT Government would need to compulsorily acquire the land in order to close the Camp permanently.

“I have been contemplating this for quite a while now for a number of reasons, but largely due to the fact there are a number of aged residents in the Camp, who live in squalor and deserve to moved into better accommodation,” said Mayor Fran Kilgariff.

Another underlying factor behind Mayor Kilgariff’s decision to act is the fact that the Ilyiperenyie Town Camp Home is located right beside the Old Timers Nursing Home, and is also much closer to residential homes than other Town Camps in Alice Springs.

“I feel the aged residents that live in the Old Timers Retirement Home should not be subject to the violence and criminal activity that often occurs in the Ilyiperenyie Town Camp,” said Mayor Kilgariff.

“They, and other people in this residential area, deserve to feel safe and secure, and having the Camp right next door surely does not allow this,” said Mayor Kilgariff.

The Ilyiperenyie Town Camp is a smaller Town Camp facility, with only eight houses, three sheds and approximately 40 people recorded as residents.

“I feel with the smaller numbers in this camp, that it would not be too difficult to relocate its residents. I would hope through the closure the aged residents would have access to a better quality of life, and possibly even be relocated to the Old Timers Retirement Home,” said Mayor 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