THE last time a government in the Northern Territory made public housing for senior Katherinites a priority, a larrikin named Bob Hawke was running the country and the Hawthorn Hawks celebrated in front of 94,796 footy fans as they held the VFL premiership silverware aloft on the hallowed turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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There is no doubt that the 12 houses the Giles government has committed to build in Katherine East by the end of the 2015-16 financial year – the first since 1989 – will have a dramatic impact on how many names of local seniors appear on public housing waiting lists.
However, the question needs to be asked why, given there are currently 64 people on the aforementioned list, it has taken more than two decades for action to be taken.
For a government that, according to its own political spin, is only constructing new public housing where there is a definite need, the present Country Liberal Party outfit seems to have left it a bit late – three years into a four-year term – to put the accommodation needs of Katherine seniors on the radar.
It is not a problem foreign to the Territory – our seniors, many of whom have helped shape Australia into the country it is today, are often viewed as an afterthought by politicians and communities alike.
There is an undeniable need for senior accommodation in Katherine, so perhaps it is time to investigate an innovative retirement facility funded with Territory, federal and private money, rather than just traditional public housing and the associated waiting lists.
Hopefully, it does not take another 26 years before the housing needs of those who have given so much to the Kathernine community are given serious consideration.
