Local NT businesses take charge of $13m in homelands upgrades in Barkly, Big Rivers region

Works to upgrade homelands will include improvements to housing and infrastructure, fire and electrical safety and sanitation and wastewater management.

Remote Housing and Homelands Minister Selena Uibo said the investment would address urgent needs in the NT’s homelands. Picture: Sierra Haigh

Four contracts worth a combined $13 million have been awarded to Territory companies for upgrades to homelands in the Barkly and Big Rivers regions.

The works in Mungkarta, Mulga Bore, Angula, Myatt and Numbulwar will include improvements to housing and infrastructure, fire and electrical safety and sanitation and wastewater management systems.

Remote Housing and Homelands Minister Selena Uibo said Traditional Owners, residents, and local service providers were consulted on development of the work plans to ensure the investment would best meet the needs of Aboriginal people living on homelands.

This federally-funded latest announcement is a continuation of the NT government’s Homelands Housing and Infrastructure Program, with 11 homes already upgraded across homelands in the Tiwi Islands and Utopia region in Central Australia.

A further 527 homes and public amenities in 98 homelands have had inspections under the initiative’s electrical and fire safety, and housing sanitation programs.

Meanwhile, a Territory-wide water testing and supply program is also being rolled out in collaboration with the NT Office of Water Security.

Those inspections have already resulted in $1.1m being spent on urgent repairs and maintenance to critical housing infrastructure.

“The Australian government’s $100 million investment is addressing urgent needs in our homelands which the Territory Labor government is proudly delivering, with a quarter of works ($25 million) already committed in 2022-23,” Ms Uibo said.

Workers from DICE have been awarded a contract for upgrades to Myatt Homeland. Picture: Supplied

“Today’s announcement marks progress towards the prompt delivery of projects for families in these homelands, further reinforcing our commitment to supporting local Territory businesses.”

Director of DICE Aust, which will take charge of the upgrades in the Myatt homeland, Raymond Pratt said the company’s focus would be on delivering quality work to encourage healthy living practices.

“Firstly, we will engage in an extensive consultation process with the Traditional Owners and residents of the Myatt homelands and identify priority repairs, maintenance, and upgrade requirements from a community perspective,” he said.

“When the project gets started we’ll have a team of workers on the ground but will also be engaging with the local service provider and local contractors for support when required.

“One of our key focus areas is to encourage and support local business and this program will be a great way to deliver on this element.”

The other successful bidders for the contracts were Bullant Building, Barkly Plumbing (with Dynamic Solutions), and Northern Building and Property Services.