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Sky News AU
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Indigenous leaders say Uluru town at centre of Voice Referendum is still waiting for housing after 10 years, as bureaucracy stymies growth
Leaders from the community at the foot of Uluru say the federal government has forgotten them since the Voice to Parliament referendum. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travelled with the Canberra press pack to Uluru in the final days of the referendum campaign in 2023, urging Australians to vote Yes. But the cameras weren't taken to Mutitjulu, the community at the foot of the rock, which is home to between 350 and 400 people. Leaders from the Mutitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation told Sky News the community was in desperate need of infrastructure upgrades, but attempts to improve facilities were often caught up in bureaucratic red tape. 'I personally think Mutitjulu has been left behind,' MCAC chief executive Rob Drew told Sky News when we visited the community. 'Where we're standing basically was the original campground for Ayres Rock when it was Ayres Rock and that's all it ever was designed for and we've got a community around that now and the facilities haven't stayed up with it, the infrastructure hasn't stayed up with it. 'Even though there are plans to rectify that, it takes a long time for this stuff to get some guernseys and get put into the ground.' MCAC chair Dorethea Randall said the community had waited a decade for 12 new houses. 'Behind us is housing that's we've waited over 10 years for, but even longer when we've been pushing for more housing over 20 years,' she said. Ms Randall said many people from nearby homelands and smaller communities were moving to Mutitjulu to access services, but they were not keeping up. She said even when the housing under construction was finished the community would need another 12 houses to service their needs. 'Housing is really crucial because it's a foundation of where the core problem starts,' she said. Mr Drew said applying for grants and funding was a bureaucratic nightmare, pointing out the community had to seek approval from different organisations and government departments including Parks Australia, the Office of Township Leasing and the Central Land Council. 'Some of the processes you've got to go through for funding are just horrendously ridiculous, and then the acquittals behind that, so if you've gone for a grant of $30,000 you spend that nearly in administration,' he said. 'With the layers of bureaucracy that we have got to contend with here in Mutitjulu it just adds to the complexity and it slows projects to the point where they stop and they don't proceed.' Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Kerrynne Liddle said the barriers faced by the Mutitjulu community were unacceptable. 'It would be unacceptable anywhere in Australia for people to be waiting 10 years for houses to be built that were promised, and we have to ask ourselves, where are the roadblocks here,' she said. Senator Liddle said she was determined to cut through the red tape that was slowing progress for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. 'I will resist at every opportunity, the building of a black bureaucracy,' she said. While the Northern Territory's Aboriginal communities voted strongly in favour of the voice, the voter turnout in many communities was less than 50 per cent. 'The community, not everybody was aware. There was a lack of information delivered down to understand what it was all about,' Ms Randall said. They're now calling for less talk and more action. 'People tick the box for consultation, but where's the action?' Mr Drew said. 'Too much whitefella talk and no action is really what the feedback is from the local people.' Ms Randall invited Mr Albanese to visit the community and see their issues for himself. 'In the future, yes, we would like to see him actually in Mutitjulu,' she said. Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy was contacted for comment.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Yahoo
Dog Left with Multiple Broken Bones After Abuse Finds 'Safe and Loving Home' for 'Healing Journey'
A three-month-old puppy has now found a "safe and loving foster home" — just days after a Michigan man was arrested and charged with abusing the German pointer mix outside of a restaurant. On Monday, Feb. 3, the Macomb County Sheriff's Office (MSCO) deputies responded to a fast-food restaurant in Macomb Township at 11:27 a.m. after being alerted to a dog being "abused inside of a camper van," per the MCSO. At the time, a witness told authorities that he saw the suspect — a 25-year-old man from Manistee, later identified as Corbin Miller — repeatedly hitting the puppy with what he called a "cylindrical item." The MCSO shared images of the item and the dog, who was shown lying down with a cone around her neck. Related: Martha Stewart Reveals Her Dog's Eye Was Removed After the Pet Developed a Sudden and 'Very Bloody' Health Issue Miller, who authorities say refused to comply with deputies and allow Animal Control access to the dog, was then charged with third-degree killing/torturing of an animal and two counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer. While at the scene, authorities discovered the puppy, Maeby, in the camper van with "visible injuries to her leg and yelping when picked up." According to Macomb County Animal Control chief Jeff Randazzo, Maeby suffered a skull fracture, pelvic girdle fracture, and a femur fracture. Miller's bond was set at $100,000, and he is being held at Macomb County Jail. After Miller's arrest, things have been looking up for the Michigan pup. On Thursday, Feb. 6, Macomb County Animal Control announced on Facebook that Maeby has relocated to a new home. Related: Lifeboat Crew Saves 'Traumatized' Golden Retriever After Dog Gets Swept Out to Sea After a Walk Macomb County Animal Control (MCAC) revealed that the puppy, who underwent "extensive surgery" at a specialty surgery center, is now in recovery and has a new foster home "secured for her healing journey. " MCAC thanked locals for being a "voice for the voiceless," noted that Maeby still needs extensive medical treatment, and encouraged the community to donate to an emergency medical fund. The money raised goes directly toward her surgery, rehabilitation, and ongoing care. According to the fund's webpage, the fund "directly supports the urgent care and treatment of severely injured or sick animals in our community" and plays a "vital" role in life-saving measures. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "Please help us give Maeby the love and healing she deserves," Macomb County Animal Control wrote in its Facebook update, also encouraging locals to continue advocating for animals who suffer "unthinkable abuse." "In Michigan, many animal abusers do not receive significant sentences due to how animal cruelty offenses are categorized under state law. Because Michigan's sentencing guidelines are based on prior record and offense variables, defendants without prior records often do not receive jail time — even for severe cases of abuse," the MCAC wrote. "In many instances, sentencing guidelines do not recommend incarceration at all, treating animal cruelty more like property crimes rather than serious violent offenses, and this needs to change. If you [see] something, say something." Read the original article on People
