Kathy Newnam, Darwin
The One Mile Dam community, an Aboriginal camp just outside Darwin's CBD, is still waiting for answers about government plans for the future of the special purpose lease on which the camp resides.
In recent months, rumours and misinformation about the future of the camp have intensified, in part due to the increasing exposure of the neglect of the camp by the government and the lease-holder, the Aboriginal Development Foundation.
In October 2004, the community's representative body, the Kumbutjil Association, unanimously passed a resolution of no confidence in the ADF and its executive director, Bernie Valadian, for long-term neglect of the lease.
During meetings in December with the Yilli Rreung Housing Aboriginal Corporation to establish a service level agreement, the association was informed that the ADF had relinquished the lease, only to be told on February 7 that this was not the case.
The association believes that it may have been misled over the lease in order to hasten the signing of the agreement, "to avoid any pre-election embarrassment over the long-term and continuing neglect of the One Mile Dam community — as well as the allegations of corruption on the part of the ADF — supposedly set up to assist and benefit Aboriginal people".
A statement released on February 23 by the Kumbutjil Association said that the "Yilli housing mob tried to get us to pay an $8000 excess water bill. This was paid by ADF before — but Yilli told us ADF was no longer holding the lease — so we were expected to pay."
According to the association, there have also been secret talks between the government and the Larrakia Nation about the special purpose lease "which is wrong because they should talk to the Kumbutjil Association, which speaks for the One Mile Dam mob".
"We are waiting for answers to our questions about why the government is having secret talks about us and why Yilli treated us the wrong way. The Kumbutjil Association has a right to a reply from the government."
From Green Left Weekly, March 9, 2005.
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