Tin shed extensions built under the Northern Territory Government's Room to Breathe Indigenous housing program were a mistake and will be pulled down, the NT Housing Minister has conceded.
The extensions were built in the community of Ali Curung, around 400 kilometres north of Alice Springs, under a $200 million housing program announced last year.
The program promised "extra living spaces" for existing homes and works were fast-tracked in 22 remote communities, including Ali Curung, because of serious overcrowding.
Last month, residents contacted the Barkly Regional Council to flag concerns about poor workmanship and a lack of consultation.
"I was shocked," mayor Steve Edgington said.
"It's a tin shed, built on the end of a house — it's nothing more than corrugated iron, there's no insulation, there's gaps."
On Tuesday, representatives from the Department of Housing and Community Development and the builders responsible for the project met to discuss residents concerns.
The department has since agreed to remedy the issue.
"I will have to explain to taxpayers that we will go back and rescope two of those jobs," Housing Minister Gerry McCarthy said.
"I can take that blame, fair and square as a minister."
"We will be asking the contractor for their accountability in this as well."
The Department of Housing and Community Development has confirmed the company Ingkerreke Commercial was engaged to carry out early works for Room to Breathe in Ali Curung.
In a statement to the ABC, the company's chief executive Callum Mathison said it had consulted "meaningfully" with residents.
"The residents' concerns have been taken into account with planning underway to return to community to modify the existing structures to suit the residents' [requirements]," he said.
Despite the concession, Mr Edgington has questioned why the works were undertaken without thorough consultation about the scope of works.
"Who's going to pay for the cost of what's already been done, the cost of repairs, the cost of replacement?" he said.
"That's money that could've been spent somewhere else in our region and now it's gone to waste."
The NT Government last year announced it would spend $1.1 billion dollars on remote housing over 10 years, which included the Room to Breathe program.
Opposition Leader Gary Higgins said he was disappointed a policy about local decision making had not yet passed through Cabinet.
"The locals down there are making it very clear that they have not been involved in decision making," he said.
