HOUSING — NINGA
MIA — GOLDFIELDS
669. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the minister representing the
Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Ninga Mia community
in the goldfields.
(1) Has the
minister visited the Ninga Mia community since the 2017 election?
(2) Is the minister aware that
houses are being demolished in this community?
(3) Does the
minister have a plan to assist residents of this community to continue to
reside in their homes, as is their wish?
(4) Has the
minister engaged with or received any correspondence from the Ninga Mia
corporation on this issue and/or other issues since 2017?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON
replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question. The following information has been provided by the
Minister for Housing.
(1) No.
(2) The Minister
for Housing has been advised that in 2018, the Department of Planning, Lands and
Heritage, on behalf of the Aboriginal Lands Trust, undertook an audit of all
infrastructure at the Ninga Mia reserve. This audit found that a number of
houses and community infrastructure were uninhabitable and unusable and
contained friable asbestos. The Department of Communities and the Department of
Planning, Lands and Heritage are working closely with residents. Through
consultation with the community, it was agreed that six community buildings and five houses would be demolished. The
Minister for Housing has now been advised that this work commenced
earlier this year by the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
(3) The Minister
for Housing has advised that the houses and infrastructure being demolished are
unoccupied. All decisions regarding the future of the Ninga Mia reserve will
continue to be made in consultation with residents and the Aboriginal Lands
Trust.
(4) The minister
has not received any correspondence from the Ninga Mia corporation; however,
one letter from the Ninga Mia Fellowship was received and responded to in 2018.