The Northern Territory’s peak Aboriginal health group says the housing crisis could exacerbate coronavirus case numbers, as borders reopened to the rest of Australia on Monday.
The head of the NT’s Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance (AMSANT), John Paterson, criticised the government for showing a "lack of responsibility" and reiterated the Alliance's calls to keep the borders closed.
There is concern that if a member of a remote community contracts the virus from an arrival in the Territory, the virus may spread quickly in the community.
“There is no doubt that overcrowded housing, if there is a positive case, will spread among a household,” Mr Paterson told SBS.
“We’re seeing it now, as soon as they lifted the lockdown in Katherine, movement of cases were starting to spread to outer remote communities.”
“The Aboriginal health leadership suggested to governments that we look at January next year to lift the borders — unfortunately that hasn’t been agreed to by the government.”
At the time of writing, the only cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the Northern Territory were restricted to the Howard Springs quarantine facility.
The lifting of restrictions means vaccinated people are free to enter the Northern Territory and won't have to enter quarantine.
However, they will need to return a negative PCR test within the 72 hours before entering the territory, a second test within the first three days of arrival and a third test on day six.
Interstate arrivals will be allowed to visit national parks but are banned from entering remote communities where fewer than 80 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated.
Returning residents and essential workers and their families will be allowed to those remote communities but must wear a mask for seven days and essential workers will have daily rapid antigen testing.
A number of remote communities have second-dose vaccination rates well below 50 per cent.
The lifting of restrictions comes with the Territory in the grips of its worst outbreak of coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.
At the weekend, seven cases were recorded in Tennant Creek believed to be linked to the current Katherine outbreak.
Tennant Creek was due to exit lockdown orders at 5pm Monday but could see its lockdown extended.
The community of Ali Curung, about 170km south of Tennant Creek, has a first dose vaccination rate of 44 per cent for people aged 16 and over. It plunged into a snap lockdown after recording one case of coronavirus.
Members of these communities will only be allowed to leave their homes for five essential reasons - medical treatment, an hour of outdoor activity, shopping for essentials, essential work and to provide care or support.
People who have been in either Ali Curung or Tennant Creek since 10 December must immediately isolate, get tested for COVID-19 and remain in isolation until they receive a negative result.
People who have since left the area or have been in transit must stop at the nearest COVID-19 testing facility to get tested.
Mr Paterson said the issue of housing has had a ripple effect on the community, forcing many to sleep rough due to ‘inadequate’ housing options.
“We need to address those underlying issues, why are these people transient in our communities,” he said.
“I can assure you overcrowding of housing, some of the other social traumas and stress contribute.”
Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker blamed alcohol as the "root cause" for people to choose a transient lifestyle.
Northern Territory Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker. Source: AAP
“The commodity they’d much prefer to spend their money on is alcohol,” he said.
“It’s not accommodation and in some cases it’s not food it’s alcohol that’s the root cause of that problem,” he said.
Mr Paterson slammed these remarks, calling them a disappointing stereotype.
“Predominantly when people make reference to transient groups, they’re basically referring to the Aboriginal population of the Northern Territory,” he said.
“I’m disappointed by those comments from the commissioner stereotyping Aboriginal people spending their money, their income, on alcohol.
“It’s just out of order, inappropriate and totally false.”
AMSANT have called for the police commissioner to apologise for those comments.
“A stereotype comment made by an individual, an officer at the highest level, should not have been made and he ought to apologise from my perspective.”
Commissioner Chalker reiterated that the issue was the "harsh reality", offering no apology.
“It’s a harsh reality, we can catastrophise all we want, but my people are on the front line each and every day their standing at bottle shops trying to control who should and shouldn’t get access to alcohol,” he said.
“The assault rate across the Northern Territory is abhorrent, the people who are involved in that, unfortunately, meet the demographic of the people who have travelled who are living rough.
“I can tell you through lived experience the harsh reality is that are people who are deeply afflicted by alcoholism do choose to spend money on alcohol as opposed to food, to shelter and the other necessities for life and their family.”
Chief Minister Michael Gunner admitted a housing issue had been highlighted by the current Katherine outbreak, adding that work was being done to address this issue.
“We do have an endemic overcrowding issue in the Territory,” he said.
“We also know people move and the volume of people who sometimes sleep rough can fluctuate widely.”
While the NT government have been working on ways to combat the issue of housing, the Chief Minister said it’s often "frustrating" when services provided aren’t used.
“Absolutely we need to do more for housing in the Territory and we’re certainly working at that,” he said.
“[But] you can provide a lot of services and people choose not to take them up.”
Mr Paterson said he has no doubt that the housing crisis, combined with low vaccination rates remotely will see an "explosion" in cases as case numbers surge across Australia.
Only 35 per cent of people living in remote Aboriginal communities in the Barkly region are fully vaccinated.
“I just don’t think we have the capacity, the workforce and other logistical support here in the Territory to cope with it.”
