Cops get new home but residents left waiting

Residents have been left waiting for new homes after the government prioritised building a $13m new cop shop.

THE new $13m Ngukurr Police Station is complete but community leaders say there should have been a more urgent focus on community housing.

The NT government received federal funding for the cop shop that will also include four staff houses, which should be finished in April.

Under the NT government’s HomeBuild program, only $9.8m has been invested across 18 dwellings since it began in 2016.

The government plans to build a total of 38 new homes in Ngukurr, however community didn’t know when they would be delivered.

While the new builds reduced overcrowding by about 13 per cent, about 65 per cent of residents in Ngukurr still live in an overcrowded home.

A Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics (DIPL) spokesman said a contract was awarded to Norbuilt Pty Ltd in 2020 for $13.4m to construct the new police facility.

“The works included a new police station and holding cells to support up to six police officers,” he said.

“The multi-function facility has capacity to support Local Court matters; four additional staff houses and four Visiting Officer’s Quarters.”

Ngukurr Cop Shop

The facility was upgraded due to ageing infrastructure that no longer met current operational needs or the requirements of the community.

The DIPL spokesman said Ngukurr’s Yugul Mangi Aboriginal Development Corporation were consulted throughout the process and local people were employed by Norbuilt for the construction.

However, Yugul Mangi Aboriginal Development Corporation deputy chairwoman Daphne Daniels said leaders in Ngukurr were more interested in building new homes and education programs rather than enforcement.

“Housing for example is still a big problem here,” she said.

“Police don’t have good relationships out here.

“That money could have been used for community housing, or bringing our children back to country.”

Ms Daniels said a number of families still lived in old houses and most homes had more than 10 people living in each dwelling.

“We have families waiting a long, long time out here and they are all living in overcrowding,” she said.

“Some of our vacant houses haven’t been maintained, so we can’t even put people there.”

Ms Daniels said the NT government’s converted Local Decision Making Agreement was not working for the community.

“We have got that, but it’s not working properly,” Ms Daniels said.

“We are not engaged with the development of the police station and really we need programs and activities that are face-to-face and connect with our people.”

Ms Daniels said the Yugul Mangi board were already working on youth crime and domestic violence prevention but still needed to consider how to engage police.

On January 13 a request for tenders was released by DIPL to build the remaining 20 homes due to be built in Ngukurr and Rittarangu.

“The first six dwellings in Ngukurr comprising part of the tender will be built and delivered in calendar year 2022,” the spokesman said.

The contract will include civil works, construction and maintenance for both residential and government employee housing.

The types of houses built will be dependent further community engagement.