New funds for Alice Springs town camps

Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin has pledged new funds and services
for indigenous people in Alice Springs town camps during a fleeting visit to the
desert city.

A key new initiative in the federal and Northern Territory governments' $150 million
"transformation plan" to overturn squalid conditions and disadvantage suffered by
the camp dwellers, will be a $980,000 program to support families, she said.
It "will be a very helpful addition to families who live in the Alice Springs area,
who really do need extra support with their children".
Ms Macklin toured the Little Sisters town camp on Wednesday, talking to residents
and a small squadron of workers removing rubbish and building temporary housing.
The start of clean-up and "fix and make safe" activities in the camp was a
breakthrough for the residents, she said.
"We are very, very pleased that finally we've been able to get on with what has been
a job needed to be done for a very long time."
Amid the whir of power tools, Ms Macklin took time to talk with Baydon Williams, the
president of Little Sisters, and his wife Mary about their concerns over a lack of
consultation with town camp residents.
"Her office said they are going to stay in touch with us," Mary said later.
"I'd like to see it happen. I want to see it happen. I am hoping it will happen."
The minister was accompanied by Warren Snowdon, the federal member for Lingiari, and
Northern Territory Minister for Central Australia, Karl Hampton, on the tour.
"I think this has been a very difficult process, particularly for town camp
residents. But I think it's about looking forward now," Mr Hampton said.
"Things could've been done better but, you know, we're moving forward."
There is "$150 million in the transformation plan, and that's about providing better
houses for town camp residents and also making places safe for their families", he
added.
Ms Macklin said life in the camps would be put on a more "normal" footing with
proper authorities taking responsibility for basic services.
"The really good thing about what we are doing here (is that) we are going to shift
from a situation where we had very unusual ways of doing things to a normal
situation where town councils, local government, take responsibility for municipal
services," she said.
"We will continue to roll out each of the different improvements to services that
have been so desperately needed here in Alice Springs while at the same time get up
and going with the very important job of building new houses ...
"... Whether it's sewage, water, electricity supply, all of these services are
critically needed, and now we can get on with the job," she said.
Ms Macklin said the family support program would include a community justice centre
mediator, a family group conferencing co-ordinator and Aboriginal co-convenors for
parents and extended families caring for children.
She also announced the federal and NT governments had committed funding for a dog
control program and alcohol treatment and management.