COMMUNITY LIVING ZONING

Approximately 1000 people ‘camp’ in Darwin and Palmerston every night. There are a large number of well established camp areas in the Darwin and Palmerston regions. Most of these camps do not have a special lease arrangement. These camps are occupied by Aboriginal people in Darwin and Palmerston. Aboriginal people living in camps do not live in houses. (Homeless)

It is proposed that ALL established camping areas in the Darwin and Palmerston regions are rezoned as CL - Community Living.

These Community Living areas would then provide a toilet, shower, sink, space for cooking food (fireplace) and regular rubbish collection.

To solve the problem of the growing population of Indigenous homeless people, spaces must be allocated in Darwin CBD, Palmerston, all existing and future suburbs. Long term camps already exist not only in existing population centres but also in surrounding areas which are zoned for future residential development.

NT Government needs to liaise with the longgrass community to identify those areas where rezoning would be appropriate. It is imperative that people living in the camps be consulted on developments.

For many, long grassing is a part of purposeful immersion in a traditional way of life; the way people live in the camps. These established camps will continue to be used. The people who live in the camps will do so on and off for the rest of their lives. Providing facilities would enable people to stay at their camps and alleviate the numbers of longgrass people at shopping centres and public spaces where they seem to be ‘unwanted’.

Rezoning the already established camps would also provide a solution to a big problem that NT housing has created. NT Housing has not provided suitable accommodation for large families where they can gather, have a fire and make noise. The outcome of this is that large families are evicted from public housing everyday. These people are then homeless and live in camps. The growing number of homeless people in Darwin is not just a result of bad conditions in Aboriginal Communities. NT housing has created a situation where large numbers of people are forced into the Longgrass. The NT Housing policy of 3 month eviction without reason is evidence of this.

People are still needlessly harassed by NT Government departments and DCC. Legalisation by rezoning of these camping areas would put an end to the harassment of these citizens.

When the NT government improves employment and services in remote aboriginal communities, the number of people who come to Darwin may begin to level. Until then, the concept of sending aboriginal people back to their communities is both unrealistic and disrespectful. Providing appropriate housing for all homeless aboriginal people in Darwin and Palmerston is inconceivable in the short term. We recognise the priority of legitimising existing, long term family camps, by rezoning these established camps as Community Living, as a financially viable first step towards addressing the issue of homelessness.

Prepared for the NT Greens

By Justin Tutty and Lucinda Watson

Note - This plan is being updated in consultation with the Kumbutjil Association to include One Mile Dam Community's unique urban situation