Remote Housing Program spends $9.77m staff wages

THE government’s remote housing program spent almost $10m on staff wages and expenses in a year.

THE government’s remote housing program spent almost $10m on staff wages and expenses in a year.

According to the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics employee expenses for the Housing Program Office (HPO) totalled $9.77m from July 1 2020 to June 30 2021.

The program office was transferred from Territory Families Housing and Communities, and reported employing 60 full time staff 2021.

According to a government spokeswoman, the expenses were largely attributed to employee wages and consultation, which equates to about $161,000 a person.

The largest sum, $7.85m, was attributed to program planning, engagement and delivery.

The NT News asked for an itemised breakdown of expenses but was instead sent a table which is publicly available in the annual plan.

The table showed a further $780,000 in employee expenses was for land servicing and infrastructure and another $1.14m was claimed against land tenure.

The figures excluded administrative costs, including remote travel and accommodation for consultation and engagement with community, which were not individually reported in the departmental annual report.

Last financial year the program delivered 641 bedrooms in remote communities across the Northern Territory.

The HPO is also responsible for the reporting and governance of the overall remote housing program, including obligations under the National Partnership Agreement.

The NT News asked Remote Housing and Town Camps Minister Chansey Paech if he was aware of the expenditure and received the following reply:

”The HPO is responsible for delivering the $2.1bn remote housing program,” he said.

“It is a massive body of work that needs to be adequately resourced. We need public servants to plan, consult, engage and deliver our remote housing program.

“So far the Territory Labor Government has spent over $915m on new and upgraded housing as well as infrastructure to support the delivery of new housing in remote communities.”

The NT News understands the HPO has doubled in size to 130 people in 2022.