Mr Kothari was in Australia during August, at the
invitation of the Australian authorities, with the objective of examining and
reporting on the right to adequate housing and other related rights. The issues
to be covered were broad and included non-discrimination, rights of indigenous
peoples and access to and affordability of adequate housing.
After being briefed about the Pemulwuy Project and walking
through The Block, the Special Rapporteur said the State government’s resistance to supporting the project puzzled him.
“Given the history of the area and the importance of
providing housing and other services for Indigenous people, the Pemulwuy
Project is a very legitimate project that should receive support at all levels
of government”, he said. “I do not understand why a project like
this, which has so much community participation, and is on land that belongs to
Aboriginal people, faces the obstacles that have been created.”
In his concluding report on 15 August where he shared his
preliminary observations, the Special Rapporteur identified a hidden national
crisis.
In the UN media release the following groups were named as
part of the crisis: “… homeless people, Indigenous peoples, children,
people with disabilities and health problems (including mental health), peoples
with low income, refugees and asylum-seekers, migrants, prisoners
and persons released from detention, youth, elderly, persons
with complex needs (e.g. HIV/AIDS, sexual minorities), single parents and
individuals and communities in rural and remote areas.”
Mr Kothari’s
parting words to me were that this (Pemulwuy Project) “will certainly be
an issue that I will look at, and an example I will use for my work”. Were
these comments picked up in the following statement in the UN media release:
“The Special Rapporteur expressed his concerns on the poor housing
conditions in the Indigenous communities he visited.”
Among
his final recommendations was that the “Australian Government urgently
address what can be considered as a humanitarian tragedy of the lack of housing
and civic services areas belonging to Indigenous Peoples.”
[South Sydney Herald September 2006]