Aka,

I take it from the misspelling of Cornflower that you disagree with something I wrote.

If stone houses were built, fine. What is preventing anyone from taking the initiative and doing that now? It is not be feasible for government though.

Apart from that, if you had read my posts it could not escaped your attention that I am concerned that housing has not been completed and millions of dollars of taxpayers money has been wasted.

What solutions do you have?

Cornflower,
the misspelling of your pen name was a result of tired eyes - no hidden agenda.
There have been many solutions put forward but these seem to be studiously ignored, and there have been a lot of problems with converted shipping containers that were supplied for the fly in govt workers. The one that springs to mind was contaminants from the fitouts.

There is a bit of history to consider before asking why there are not stone houses still being built by Aboriginal people. Read up on it, it makes facinating reading.

Aka

The shipping containers are cleaned before being fitted out. However I am interested to know specifically how the designs given in my links posted earlier are in any way deficient compared with other available housing designs that have been contemplated.

It also offers more flexibility in design and the opportunity for indigenous people to get trade skills form assembly, modification, fitout and painting. I should have thought that many would leap at the chance given the opportunity for training, the lack of employment in remote areas and the chronic shortage of housing.

Maybe you are objecting to recycling per se, but a lot of building material is recycled for expensive homes, including old timber from wharves, sleepers from railways and posts from power lines. Warehouses, churches and the like are given new lease of life through conversion to trendy units. Where is the practical difference?

Cornflower,
you seem intent on assuming you know my thoughts.

The contamination was in the materials used in the fit out of shipping containers, I think formaldehyde was a major problem. The heat and enclosed space made it worse.

Under past schemes there are trained people in different communities that are not getting employment building houses - workers are imported into communities, or in the cases where shipping containers are or were used, they were fitted out off site and shipped in complete.

I acknowledge that you are probably trolling, but I will respond to your assumption that I do not care for recycling. My family and I are probably a bit fanatical about recycling materials. I suspect that my husband is fanatical as if he throws anything away it, or puts it into the scrap heap, it has no further possible use.

We have 2 shipping containers on our property, belonging to a friend that he was going to convert. One rusted in a very short time and is unusable. Remember that they are used in a high salt environment and it gets into all the crevices and folded seams. They are built for one trip then they are scrapped, thats why people are trying to find a way to get someone else to use their wasteful rubbish.
Personally I dislike the claustrophobic smallness of the structures.
Why not ask the people who are going to live in the homes what they want and how they could go about doing it a cheaply as possible - I think that there would be some positive and useful ideas.

Oh thats right - no body listens.

Containers can be bought for what ? $ 10,000 for 20ft ones, $ 20,000 for 40ft ones ? Rust-proofed with marine paint, fitted out with windows and doors, rounded out with connecting spaces and verandahs, say three or four connected to each other and hooked up to existing power and sewerage - how much would that cost, all up ? $ 150,000 to $ 200,000 for a 'family' model using three or four 40ft containers ?

And paid for with assigned royalties. So what's the problem ?

Now let's get on to more important issues, like education and employment.

Joe

Aka,

There is formaldehyde in all houses. It is common. Open the windows.

Claustrophobic you say? Have a look at the room size in modern houses and units. Then again, have you never seen the caravans and transportable dwelling enjoyed by many people and paid for out of their own pockets, with weekly site rent still outstanding?

We are talking about low cost, robust, welfare housing. There is no reason why the cost per house should exceed that of the multi-millionaire's canal-front Mac-mansion in a gated community in Sanctuary Cove. Or as is the present case, cost more than a sheep property.