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Kumbutjil Association's caution vindicated The Kumbutjil Association were told by Yilli Housing(December, 2004) that the Aboriginal Development Foundation (ADF) had relinquished the One Mile Dam lease. However the lease (we learned on the 7th of February, 2005 from another source) is still held by the ADF.
Yilli Housing fabricated this 'lease development' so we would sign a service level agreement with them
ADF - Yilli Housing and government plans for OMD Previously Yilli Housing were unable to do maintenance of 'houses' at OMD, due to the ADF holding the lease, so obviously Yilli Housing could not enter any such agreement without the ADF's consent... ...a consent that would have extended to concealing the lease's true status from the Kumbutjil Association. The Clare Martin government was well aware of our 'vote of no confidence' and intent to take possession of the lease.(September 12, 2004) - Still no reply. We met with Yilli Housing on the 31st of December, 2004 - a time when most people are enjoying the Christmas break. We thought this conscientious behaviour on Yilli's part was due to an urge to help the people of OMD community, not to deceive them. Larrakia Nation Secret negotiations between the Larrakia Nation and the government regarding the OMD lease have already caused much mistrust amongst the people here. "Kumutjil (sic) Aboriginal Corporation advised that correspondence has been received from The Minister of Community Development, Sport and Cultural Affairs MLA John Ah Kit, advising of the NT Government's intention to undersign the One Mile Dam Special Purpose lease to the Larrakia Nation..." (Yilli Housing Minutes) The Kumbutjil Association have no argument with the Larrakia
people's claims of sovereignty over the Darwin region - but fail
to understand why the Larrakia Nation would enter into secret
negotiations with the NT government, to seize control of one of
the only tracts of land in Darwin occupied by Aboriginal people. These minutes were transcribed by Yilli Housing and also state... -
"If YRHAC are required by (One Mile Dam) to pay P(&)W excess
water charges, then YRHAC will impose an excess water levy that
will be added to rental payments." - " The water levy would be estimated to be about $8,000.00 for One Mile Dam - Information provided by P(&)W on One Mile Dam's previous excess water charges payed (sic) by ADF previously." In other words, because the ADF were supposedly out of the picture, residents were expected to pay the excess water bill normally paid by the ADF. This would have meant - a weekly payment of about 30 dollars for a year - by residents who have no showers, toilets, washing machines, etc... (Ablutions are communal and individual households are not metered.) There are quite a number of laws that deal with obtaining monies by deception. Pressure to sign has pre-election
connotations About half a dozen phonecalls and numerous emails were employed after this meeting, in an attempt to pressure the Kumbutjil Association into signing the service level agreement. It has been suggested that the Clare Martin government is anxious to avoid any pre-election embarassment over the long term (and continuing) neglect of the One Mile Dam community -- as well as the allegations of corruption on the part of the ADF and other organisations -- supposedly set up to assist and benefit Aboriginal people.
This is a typical exchange... "Until we get answers to our questions in writing or by email -- "...there will be no meetings" (David Timber)" (IHANT) Indigenous
Housing Authority Northern Territory "If there is a perception of bullying about all of this I am surprised... ...It might help if I drop in over the next coupla days and have a chat." Tony Beckitt - tony.beckitt@nt.gov.au
Since
our email of the 8th February, 2005
we have had no explanations about these "...serious breaches
of democratic governance". This silence continues - (2nd March, 05)
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