Jenny Macklin; 19/12/09
In the troubled town camps that fringe Alice Springs, a clean-up is under way. Local workers on heavy machinery move methodically through the camps piling rubbish into skips that are filled by the end of each day, taken away, emptied and returned. Teams of plumbers, electricians, carpenters and architects are on the ground as part of the “fix and make safe” program. At house 13 in Hoppy’s Camp, Ashley Robertson shares one bedroom with his wife and “us mob’s three kids”. “It’s like an oven inside with no fan,” he says. “In that house we have another eight people living with us mob and on paydays we have lots of visitors. Our kitchen and shower is too small … we all get crowded in the kitchen. “I got no worries with the government helping with fixing my house, I want a clean house and for it to work with no problem.”
Tags: Aboriginal, Australia, Housing, Human Rights