Remote facilities need millions: report

The Town of Port Hedland will need to find $14 million to bring facilities at Yandeyarra Aboriginal Community up to scratch, according to a scoping template for the delivery of local government services to remote indigenous communities.

Picture by Astrid Volzke: Jigalong in the Shire of East Pilbara

The Shire of East Pilbara will be forced to dig even deeper, with initial capital expenditure at Jigalong and Punmu estimated at a combined $23 million.

The massive financial impost looms from July 1 next year when local governments are due to take over responsibility for municipal services delivery to Aboriginal communities from the Federal Government.

A scoping document prepared by CAM Management Solutions for the Pilbara Regional Council reveals upgrades at Yandeyarra will cost the Town of Port Hedland $14 million for infrastructure and services to be brought up to an acceptable standard and $2 million per year to maintain thereafter.

Under the new agreement, local government would deliver primary services including waste disposal, rubbish tip maintenance, access and internal road upgrades and maintenance, street lighting, cemetery management and community airstrip maintenance.

Port Hedland mayor Kelly Howlett said this week the Town would not be able to fund the upgrade or ongoing services without significant assistance from higher levels of government.

“It has to come from Federal or State. It’s something that we would be unable to expect to come from our rate base,” she said.

An item relating to the provision of municipal services to indigenous communities was due to go before council on Wednesday but was removed.

Cr Howlett said the town was seeking legal advice to assess the scope of its responsibilities for the proposed handover. The item has been tentatively rescheduled to go before council next month.

Of the seven Pilbara indigenous communities included in the scoping document, Yandeyarra ($14,089,500), Jigalong ($12,958,500) and Punmu ($9,928,000) had the largest initial capital expenditure outlay, equating to 95 per cent of the total cost across all communities.