00:02Six weeks after major flooding forced their evacuation, these Palumpa residents could
00:07return home in as soon as two days' time. Told this morning, their stay at the Batchelor
00:11Institute may nearly be over. Major players like the Northern Land Council left in the
00:17dark and concerned about the sudden return.
00:19The health and safety issue is a great concern. Inhumane houses where there could be mould
00:27build up within the houses because of the moisture and the wet season. A lot of that stuff.
00:33The food security, you know, what's that going to look like?
00:37The logistics unclear to many.
00:39What we found out today is there is absolutely no information flow. They don't know what's
00:44going on. They don't know Palumpa people, apparently they're going home Wednesday, they weren't
00:48told about that.
00:49Having not seen the state of the community since they left over a month ago, residents
00:53at today's meeting expressed concern about what their homes might look like when they
00:56return. Meanwhile, others were concerned about the availability of basic goods.
01:01We attended a meeting with the stakeholders recently, last week, when Alistair King has
01:06said clearly, the shop's not ready. Clearly the fridge is broken, it's under water. And
01:12to rebuild it, it's going to take three or four months.
01:14The government confirming the repatriation timeline, saying they had consulted with community members
01:19prior to the announcement. The Northern Territory government is planning to facilitate a staged
01:24repatriation of the community from Wednesday 22nd of April, if conditions allow for the safe
01:29repatriation of community members. Provisions for the delivery of school, health and store services
01:35have been established to support repatriated community members as they return to the community.
01:39the end of one challenge, and the start of another.
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