UN Special Rapporteur puzzled over obstacles to Pemulwuy Project

Mr Kothari was in Australia during August, at the invitation of the Australian authorities, with the objective of examining and reporting on the right to adequate housing and other related rights. The issues to be covered were broad and included non-discrimination, rights of indigenous peoples and access to and affordability of adequate housing.

After being briefed about the Pemulwuy Project and walking through The Block, the Special Rapporteur said the State government's resistance to supporting the project puzzled him.

"Given the history of the area and the importance of providing housing and other services for Indigenous people, the Pemulwuy Project is a very legitimate project that should receive support at all levels of government", he said. "I do not understand why a project like this, which has so much community participation, and is on land that belongs to Aboriginal people, faces the obstacles that have been created."

In his concluding report on 15 August where he shared his preliminary observations, the Special Rapporteur identified a hidden national crisis.

In the UN media release the following groups were named as part of the crisis: "... homeless people, Indigenous peoples, children, people with disabilities and health problems (including mental health), peoples with low income, refugees and asylum-seekers, migrants, prisoners

and persons released from detention, youth, elderly, persons with complex needs (e.g. HIV/AIDS, sexual minorities), single parents and individuals and communities in rural and remote areas."

Mr Kothari's parting words to me were that this (Pemulwuy Project) "will certainly be an issue that I will look at, and an example I will use for my work". Were these comments picked up in the following statement in the UN media release: "The Special Rapporteur expressed his concerns on the poor housing conditions in the Indigenous communities he visited."

Among his final recommendations was that the "Australian Government urgently address what can be considered as a humanitarian tragedy of the lack of housing and civic services areas belonging to Indigenous Peoples."

[South Sydney Herald September 2006]