NT government argument that it has no obligation to supply safe drinking water to the residents of communities like Laramba thrown out by the NT Court of Appeal. It found the obligation of a landlord to "ensure habitability" includes the right to ensure clean drinking water. - ThreadSky

roycerk2.bsky.social • 59 days ago

NT government argument that it has no obligation to supply safe drinking water to the residents of communities like Laramba thrown out by the NT Court of Appeal. It found the obligation of a landlord to "ensure habitability" includes the right to ensure clean drinking water.

Comments

tomstein.bsky.social•59 days ago

It's a shame that human rights need to be argued in courts at all in Australia.

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

We have no bill of rights so the boundaries are always up for negotiation.

tomstein.bsky.social•59 days ago

Yes, I know, and that's a shame as well.

roquefortbloom.bsky.social•58 days ago

What sort of government goes to court to try and justify NOT ensuring the communities over which it is the landlord have clean drinking water?

Oh yes, an Australian one.

The Northern Territory government is a disgrace.

#auspol #NTpol #Laramba

haddagutful.bsky.social•58 days ago

The racism in this country starts at the top.

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

Earlier this month, the newly elected Country Liberal Party tried to overturn an earlier decision requiring the Territory government to ensure clean drinking water for remote Indigenous communities. Previously, the government was only required to provide clean water for 18 gazette townships.

francismarkham.work•58 days ago

Tangential question, but where can I find the list of so called gazette townships? Under what legislation are they gazetted?

roycerk2.bsky.social•58 days ago

Good question - I will ask. My understanding is that it was pretty much major townships that I assume roughly corresponding to service centres in the LGAs: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_areas_of_the_Northern_Territory

francismarkham.work•58 days ago

Thank you 😁

roycerk2.bsky.social•58 days ago

May take a while given time of year.

francismarkham.work•58 days ago

Or indeed at any time of year, if my experience corresponding with the NTG is representative.

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

This decision is a huge win for remote Indigenous communities across the Territory who have been fighting for clean, drinkable water. It's also a vindication of my earlier reporting highlighting this issue and that lead to the Territory government building a filtration system for Laramba.

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

I first reported on this story in 2019, and I have doggedly pursued it since. It involved many hours, often unpaid, and it may not have won me any awards, but I remain fiercely proud of this work. There's not many who can say their reporting helped get a community uranium-free drinking water.

minishaz.bsky.social•59 days ago

That's fucked.

raven-murmur.bsky.social•59 days ago

An appalling story. Aboriginal people in remote areas are living on the Apartheid Frontier.

ona.bsky.social•59 days ago

Well done and respect for your persistence

gardenbirdnerd.bsky.social•59 days ago

Excellent, in-depth investigative journalism. Thank you!

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

Also, for context, it was a Labor government that initially fought the case and refused to install filtration system. It took pressure from inside and outside Labor to get it built. The Countrt Libs pushed their luck with the appeal bc the infrastructure has been so neglected it could cost billions.

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

An aside, there was also a story here about the politics of science. I never dug into it properly, but there was a researcher who said there was no clear evidence high uranium in drinking water was harmful. Said more research was needed. NT appeared to rely on this advice to do nothing.

sbwrightpoet.bsky.social•59 days ago

Good work mate.

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

Final thought: I shared a couple but I did a number of stories on this and IIRC none did particularly huge numbers. If you actually, genuinely care about this sort of reporting and want more, readers need to actively support it and the reporters who do it as a signal to orgs. Numbers talk.

carostamp.bsky.social•59 days ago

👏 👏👏
Important work you are doing, well done

ungala.bsky.social•59 days ago

Need more of you

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

Tell that to hiring panels. In the meantime, keep me in business - check out my book.

heatherforward.bsky.social•49 days ago

Good man. Hats off to you

boynxdor.bsky.social•59 days ago

Hey there, great reporting and thank you for staying on the case. If they think they can get away with it they will.

Just for clarity, is PWC PriceWaterhouse Cooper?

roycerk2.bsky.social•59 days ago

Thank you. And no: Power and Water Corporation - confusing, I know. They're a weird state-owned entity, but kinda not.

boynxdor.bsky.social•59 days ago

Transparency should always be more important than privacy when it comes to the spending g of Government money and the delivery of essential resources. Confidentiality clauses should be banned, they only serve to hide things that guilty people want to hide

larrymilly.bsky.social•59 days ago

Well done and thank you

jennyjforster.bsky.social•55 days ago

Just informed by dr on holiday duty in Alice that since Qantas stopped flying to Alice then Yulara, problems in Alice, missing tourists, have got worse. Fly direct to Yulara. Nationalise Qantas.

mstefanakis.bsky.social•59 days ago

Important outcome! Past judgments in favour of NT government landlord absolutely unbelievable! 😢

heathermeyer.bsky.social•59 days ago

What ghouls would propose otherwise? Shame on NT govt.

juliaharvey.bsky.social•59 days ago

The Laramba community and all communities deserve safe drinking water. If it’s not acceptable
In a city it’s not acceptable in remote and regional areas.