Evacuees from flooded remote Indigenous areas in NT housed in compound likened to ‘a prison camp’
Summary
Hundreds of people from remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory were evacuated due to severe flooding and housed in fenced temporary accommodations near Batchelor. Many evacuees say the conditions feel restrictive, with security checks and limited access to visitors, while Aboriginal organizations have been excluded from the emergency response sites.Key Facts
- Flooding from the Daly River in March forced families from Palumpa and Nauiyu to evacuate their homes twice in four weeks.
- The Northern Territory government moved evacuees to student housing and temporary units at the Batchelor Institute about 100km south of Darwin.
- The evacuation site is surrounded by a 10-foot temporary fence, and residents must sign in/out and undergo vehicle and bag searches.
- Some evacuees describe the conditions as feeling like a “prison camp” due to strict security and limited freedom.
- Aboriginal organizations like the Northern Land Council and Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency were blocked from entering evacuation centers.
- Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan was denied access to meet traditional owners without ministerial approval.
- Emergency government payments for evacuees have restrictions to cover only food and essentials, and evacuees continue to be charged rent despite earlier promises to freeze it.
- The Northern Territory government says the relocation aims to provide a stable and culturally appropriate environment during recovery.
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