The Australian and Northern Territory Governments began work to transform the Alice Springs town camps in December 2009. The aim was to make the camps cleaner and safer for residents.
From 6 December groups of local low-security inmates provided by NT Correctional Services began cleaning outside the perimeter of Hoppy’s town camp. After just one day, eight truckloads of rubbish were cleared and the clean up continued over the next two weeks. Work was also done outside the Charles Creek, Larapinta Valley and Morris Soak town camps.
Skip bins were delivered to the town camps to assist with rubbish removal. Local Aboriginal workers from Ingkerreke and foremen from the Territory Alliance began the internal clean up at Little Sisters, and moved on to other town camps. They reported that the residents were happy with the clean ups and were helping out by putting their rubbish outside for collection. By Christmas, clean up work will have been completed at Little Sisters, Hoppy’s, Morris Soak and Palmers and started at Charles Creek, Kunoth and Larapinta town camps. Work will recommence on these camps, and start on the remaining camps, after the Christmas break.
Ingkerreke, Territory Alliance and Tangentyere Council workers begin the clean up.
Territory Alliance has been engaged by the Australian and Northern Territory Governments to work on the building package in the 18 Alice Springs town camps. This includes water, power, sewerage, roads and stormwater, building 85 new houses and fixing existing houses.
This work includes the Fix and Make Safe program. Teams of architects and tradespeople have been going house-to-house in each town camp and inspecting plumbing, electrical outlets, taps and more. Any urgent work is completed on the same day, or soon after. This work began in Little Sisters on 7 December , continued throughout the town camps over the fortnight and will recommence in the New Year.
Fix and Make Safe work completed so far includes the removal of an unsafe verandah and the installation of a new stove.
Members of a ‘Fix and Make Safe’ team work on a house in Little Sisters.
NT Link began work on the installation of a demountable complex in Little Sisters. This complex will be used for temporary accommodation to help reduce overcrowding.
Geotechnical testing, sewerage inspections and site surveys were also carried out across town camps and will continue in the New Year before refurbishment and construction begins.
For more information, read Minister Macklin’s article in the Australian of 19 December 2009.