Across remote Australia, small communities of indigenous people face the possibility of eviction from their homes. These communities, some of which are comprised of as few as five people, were formed in the 1960s when Aboriginal workers won the right to increased wages. Because they were now more expensive to employ, many of them were put out of work. They moved from pastoral properties into small towns like Fitzroy Crossing. These towns struggled to cope with the influx of residents. Housing and healthcare resources were strained.

In the 1970s, there was a movement of people relocating from towns to live in communities on their traditional homelands. In 1975, the Commonwealth government ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. As part of this, the federal government took over the responsibility of paying for utilities like running water and power to the newly established small communities.

At the end of September this year, the state governments in Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania agreed to take over responsibility for these services. New South Wales does not receive support from the Commonwealth for the maintenance of small communities. The Northern Territory has a different agreement and will receive $206 million over the course of 10 years from the federal government. South Australia did not agree to the new arrangement, saying that the federal government wasn’t offering enough compensation for SA to take on the new responsibilities. WA received $90 million to cover the costs, while SA was being offered $10 million.