Improving the lives of people in Alice Springs

The Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, and the Minister for Central Australia, Karl Hampton, today visited two projects designed to improve the lives of families under the Alice Springs Transformation Plan.

Ms Macklin and Mr Hampton visited the newly refurbished, 65-bed temporary accommodation facility, Akangkentye Hostel (Mt Gillen Hostel).

The Northern Territory Government has provided almost $2.5 million for the upgrade of the facility and $360,000 in operational costs for its first year. Aboriginal Hostels Limited will manage and operate the hostel.

Under the Alice Springs Transformation Plan, the Australian and Northern Territory Governments have provided $260,000 to furnish the hostel.

The Alice Springs Transformation Plan is a $150 million investment by the Australian and Northern Territory Governments to improve housing, infrastructure and social support services in the town camps and across Alice Springs.

This facility will provide much needed temporary accommodation for people visiting Alice Springs, as well as providing town camp residents with a place to stay while their houses are being refurbished as part of the Transformation Plan.

The Ministers also visited the Kwatja Etatha Living Waters Playgroup, run by the Living Waters Lutheran School, which has received $78,000 under the Transformation Plan.

Fifty Indigenous children up to the age of five now have the opportunity to interact with each other through free play with toys and structured activities such as play-dough, jigsaw puzzles, painting, singing and music.

The Centre for Appropriate Technology is also receiving $80,000 to research tenancy support and service models for Alice Springs to identify gaps and develop new approaches to helping town camp residents maintain independent tenancies, and assess existing tenancy support models.

Under the Transformation Plan, Desert Knowledge Australia is receiving $50,000 over two years, to run a leadership and mentoring program, supported by emerging corporate leaders in Melbourne.

This program will develop the leadership skills of 19 young Alice Springs residents, with funding directly supporting the participation of town camp residents.

The Australian and Northern Territory Governments are working with the broader Alice Springs community to ensure that children are safe and to improve health, education and employment opportunities for Alice Springs residents