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Amid ongoing flooding in the Big Rivers region of Northern Territory, there is growing concern over the perceived “inequities and failures” in emergency response efforts for remote Aboriginal communities.
The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) is urging both the Federal and Territory governments to urgently address what they describe as “glaring” deficiencies in flood relief support.
“The response has been inconsistent, leaving some of our region’s most vulnerable without the same access to aid as others,” said NAAJA CEO Ben Grimes.
“Communities such as Wugularr, Jilkminggan, Daly River, Palumpa, and nearby outstations have been displaced and are experiencing hardships. However, it remains uncertain when or if they will receive the same emergency payments and assistance that have been offered to residents of Katherine.”
Disaster Relief ignoring remote Aboriginal communities
The Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement (DRFA) has been made available for residents in the Katherine Town Council. However, surrounding Aboriginal communities have been left in the dark, with NAAJA saying there is little to no information about their eligibility, payment timelines or where to access support if they’re unable to evacuate.
According to Mr Grimes, these systemic issues have worsened the flood crisis for many, particularly those living in social housing and low-lying areas.
“Some households have lost everything. The system isn’t built to quickly support them in a crisis,” he said.
“It’s making recovery slower and more painful than it needs to be.”
NAAJA has called on the Federal and Territory government to implement immediate emergency measures including an automatic pause on mutual obligation requirements and debt repayments for all affected social security recipients and in-person support from Services Australia to help people apply for disaster recovery payments.
They’ve also called for a freeze on rent for social housing tenants in flood-affected areas and that refunds be provided for any payments since March 6.
As devastation continues across the region, Mr Grimes said agencies must learn from mistakes and ensure that Aboriginal communities are included in all disaster response planning and resourcing.
“This disaster shows yet again how unequal access to essential services deepens the impact of natural events on Aboriginal communities. Governments need to act now, not just to fix what’s broken, but to stop this happening again,” he said.
Media coverage dwindling
Speaking to Nine’s The Today Show on Wednesday morning, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy criticised what she believed was a lack of media coverage on the flooding across northern Australia.
“I’ve just been out at Katherine. If anything, we’ve been trying our best to assist families on the ground there,” she said.
“Daly River’s been completely evacuated. There’s over 600 people in shelters in Katherine, about 300 or 400 in Darwin. There’s a boil water alert in a capital city in Australia.
“But there seems to be little coverage of that across the country.”
NT Emergency Service (NTES) on 132 500
13YARN 13 92 76
Aboriginal Counselling Services 0410 539 905
Lifeline 13 11 14