Housing Problem ?
Twenty people to one house, is this overcrowding? Or is this a combined income of $4,000 a week? Surely some builder would build three (3) houses for $2,000 a week guaranteed? ( think bags of flour and kangaroo!) Then after about five (5) years the houses would be owned. That would be five (5) to a house. At four rooms each, extra toilet and shower, a lounge or sleep-out for the extra person. Compatibility? everyone keeps changing around until the right combination. And the income is back (with indexation) to about $5000 a week. This model could be passed on. And people to be encouraged to live twenty (20) to a house to start off. The Commonwealth Government to give full support with financial incentive or concession via Centrelink. And State and Local Governments to provide and maintain necessary services. The housing problem will, solve itself !
(Arthur Bell c. 3/07)

Why not provide incentive for them to learn how to do it themselves?

I can think of a variety of creative ways to do this but I will offer a potential solution from within my own experience.

1. Assemble an Ambassadorial delegation from the *Tent Embassy* and take a proposal to the Indonesians to send a work party Delegation of Original Australians to rural Indonesia.

2. As I can personally testify to, the Indonesians are quite capable, if you gain their trust, of teaching people how to knock up an approx 200 meter square, brick, tile, wood, ceramic tile, bamboo and glass dwelling for less than $AU5000 in less than 2 mths @ the Indo local economy rate.

I imagine as opposed to dealing with some people, for the BlakFellas dealing with the Indos would be a "breath of fresh air" and in addition to the potential of also learning more of their own huge potential in the area of "Traditional/Organic Eco-Tourism"

(and the Indonesians are very astute business people but also very laid back and easy going - simple, effective, efficient and cruisy)

such a delegation could go to further the cause of
Good Will and Cross Cultural communication.

Of course, with for the most part rudimentary hand tools and only limited machine assists, the Indos can teach how to create pretty much everything themselves from primary materials up,

(you name it - sand moulds, padi husk fired bricks etc etc)

and contribute to the education of the Original Australians in such a way that they may learn further how to harvest the wealth of resource from their own land under their own feet and become true masters of their own destiny.

I know quite clearly that such an exercise could be initiated within a year from their Social Security payments alone if they are prepared to adhere to a discipline of saving $AU50 per fortnight.

But therein the *Elders* need to lead by example ..

...

$AU45,000,000 / 5000 p.u. = 9,000 houses

Jon J; very good point...

Let boundaries be drawn 100km from Darwin and Alice Springs; and let everyone be comfortably housed within that range on the understanding that welfare stops at the boundary. Let the preservation of tribal homelands be treated in the same way Wiccan or Druidic practices; an amusing hobby which people can indulge in at their own expense -- not mine.

I was of the opinion that being out of work and receiving benefits was on the understanding that one was 'actively seeking work'.

Now I have no problems with ANYONE choosing not to work, after all, it's a fee country, but, who says it's a 'FREE LUNCH'.

It's about time we stop wasting billions on this small minority, UNLESS they seriously do want to become true aussies.

As JJ says, house them in situations where we can affordably provide for them and their families, WHILE THEY ARE AT WORK, and let them visit the 'home land' as often as they like AT THEIR EXPENSE.

If we don't do something seriously effective about ALL welfare handouts, and quick, this country is going to go down the gurgler.