HOUSING — NINGA
MIA — GOLDFIELDS
690. Hon JACQUI BOYDELL to the minister representing the
Minister for Housing:
I refer to the Ninga Mia community
in the goldfields.
(1) Will the
minister outline the purpose of each of the six community buildings that have
been or will be demolished?
(2) I have
received reports of open piles of building rubble in the area. Given the
minister's answer yesterday that there is evidence of asbestos in the
buildings being demolished, are all necessary precautions being taken in
removing and correctly storing the building rubble?
(3) Does the McGowan government
intend to close down the Ninga Mia community?
(4) Does the minister intend to
visit the Ninga Mia community?
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)–(2) Please refer these
questions to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
(3) Consistent
with government policy on town-based reserves, all decisions regarding the
future of the Ninga Mia reserve will continue to be made in consultation with
residents and the Aboriginal Lands Trust. For the member's information,
''Resilient Families, Strong Communities: A roadmap for regional and
remote Aboriginal communities'' was released by the former government in
2016. One key feature of the road map is better services and opportunities for
Aboriginal people who live in town-based reserves.
(4) Yes.
I will ensure that the Minister for
Aboriginal Affairs is aware of parts (1) and (2) of the member's
question.