The Northern Territory Government is appealing a Supreme Court decision that it must provide clean drinking water to Laramba, a remote Aboriginal community 205km northwest of Alice Springs.
The case stems from a five-year legal battle between Laramba residents and the government, which also acts as the landlord for housing in the area.
So what was wrong with the water in Laramba before this dispute began?
On Wednesday morning’s episode of The Briefing, we talked to Dan Kelly, a solicitor at Australian Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal Rights. He has been representing the Laramba community pro bono.
Mr Kelly said water in Laramba was found to contain uranium levels three times the maximum safe limit set by Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
The NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal initially ruled that the government was not responsible for providing safe water.
“In those sort of major centres we see that water is provided, as much as it is everywhere else in Australia to a normal and expected level, it’s only in the remote areas that we see this problem arising,” Mr Kelly said.
With an estimated 250,000 Indigenous Australians nationwide lacking reliable access to safe drinking water, Mr Kelly said the outcome of this case could set a significant precedent for addressing water quality issues in remote areas.
“It’s disappointing that the government is wasting its time and resources in court rather than tackling a problem that’s affecting people’s health,” he added.
“We believe in a country as wealthy as Australia, that’s not an excuse. All Australian citizens are entitled to the very basics of life, and there’s nothing more basic to life than drinking water.”
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