New place to call home for indigenous workers in Halls Creek

A facility to provide accommodation for Aboriginal people undertaking apprenticeships and traineeships in remote Western Australia has opened this week in Halls Creek.

Acting Housing Minister Kim Hames welcomed the opening of the Burraluba Yura Ngurra facility, which is located on a 46ha pastoral lease at Burks Park, four kilometres from Halls Creek, an area of significance for the local Djaru people.

"The hostel is part of the Kimberley Employment Based Accommodation project which will see similar accommodation built in Fitzroy Crossing, Derby and Broome," Dr Hames said.

"This facility will provide a safe, secure and supportive living environment, which is a key factor in successfully completing apprenticeships and traineeships, yet can often be challenging to find in regional and remote areas."

The facility has four two-bedroom units for families and 12 units for singles. Each family unit has a separate kitchen with the single units sharing a communal kitchen, allowing residents to form close bonds with the people sharing the facility.

East Kimberley based organisation Wunan will undertake tenancy management of the Burraluba Yura Ngurra facility and will have a full time caretaker on site to help manage day to day issues.

The Minister said the provision of opportunities for Indigenous workers in remote areas was important for the future of the Kimberley economy.

"Indigenous people in regional and remote areas often do not have access to the same support as their city cousins, so facilities such as Burraluba Yura Ngurra are extremely important to ensure towns like Halls Creek remain viable in the future," he said.

The facility was built with funding from the National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing (NPARIH), which will fund 100 beds across four locations in the Kimberley region.

The Fitzroy Crossing facility is currently under construction, with completion expected in the second half of 2011, while sites for the Broome and Derby facilities will soon be finalised.

Housing Minister's office - 9213 6900