Key Aboriginal groups are calling on the Northern Territory to declare itself a “special controlled area” to keep coronavirus from spreading, and take “extreme social isolation measures”, as more Aboriginal communities across Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland issue calls for nonessential visitors to stay away.
But the federal government is still telling remote work-for-the-dole participants to turn up for group activities or risk losing their payments.
Northern Territory chief minister Michael Gunner hasn’t ruled out closing the territory to outsiders but said there is “significant complexity” in how it could lawfully be done.
“My focus right now is protecting our remote communities and we are doing that. That may be sufficient, but I believe you do whatever it takes,” Gunner said on Wednesday night.
But the NT’s Aboriginal medical and land rights groups want stronger measures now, while there is still no known community transmission in the territory. The only known Covid-19 case there is a male tourist from New South Wales, who has been isolated at Royal Darwin hospital since diagnosis.
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, the medical service in central Australia, said the NT government should act while it is in such a “unique situation”.
“We have no community transmission and we want it to stay that way. Flatten the curve? We don’t want the curve to start with,” congress CEO Donna Ah Chee told ABC Radio.
Aboriginal people who live in remote communities will still have to travel in and out of regional centres like Katherine and Alice Springs where they could contract the virus, Ah Chee said.
Alice Springs does not yet have a testing station or fever clinic.
“Trying to restrain that movement over [the next] six months is going to be a big ask,” she said.
But the federal government is refusing to suspend work for the dole in remote communities, despite mounting criticism from the health sector, Labor and the Greens, who say making people turn up to group activities is an unnecessary health risk.
“The stakes could not be higher,” CEO of the NT’s Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance, John Paterson, said.
“We have a narrow window of opportunity to prevent the spread of the virus into our communities. As the funder and contract managers of these nonessential programs, the Australian government must exercise its duty of care.”
Labor’s Indigenous caucus has demanded work for the dole be suspended at a time when most other working Australians are being told to stay home.
The government must ensure food security in remote communities, protect people from scammers, and suspend mutual obligation requirements, a joint statement by Labor’s Linda Burney, Pat Dodson, Malarndirri McCarthy and Warren Snowdon and said.
“People should not be put in harm’s way or risk spreading the virus to vulnerable people because they are afraid their payments will be cut off,” they said.
Yesterday it was revealed the NT’s key Aboriginal medical group wrote to Ken Wyatt more than a week ago to plead for the suspension of work for the dole but have yet to receive a response.
Wyatt’s office confirmed receipt of the letter and said “a response is being prepared as per our usual practices. There are no plans to suspend [community development programs] at this time.”
Earlier this week, the head of Wyatt’s National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) wrote to program providers to say mutual obligation would continue.
“Any changes for particular areas affected by coronavirus or other extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis in line with existing procedures,” the NIAA CEO, Ray Griggs, wrote in a letter obtained by Guardian Australia.
The letter said any CDP participant who is unwell should call Centrelink to discuss obtaining a “major personal crisis exemption”, valid for 14 days, to “avoid any suspension of payment”.
In Queensland, the Aboriginal community of Palm Island has asked nonessential visitors to stay away indefinitely, while in Western Australia the Ngaanyatjarra lands are also closed to travellers.
The WA premier, Mark McGowan, said new rules are being drafted to protect remote communities.
“We’re going to work with the Northern Territory on that and obviously there’s cross-border issues because people actually travel across borders between the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia,” McGowan said.
But tourist hotspots, Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta national parks remain open, with free entry for visitors, which has caused concern for traditional owners who live there.
Parks Australia said it stands ready to close the gates if advised by the government to do so.
“This is a rapidly developing situation and we are ensuring the safety of staff, residents, visitors and industry partners by acting in accordance with all advice from the Australian government and medical authorities,” a Parks Australia spokesman said.
