00:02Less than two hours from the tourist town of Broome lies a community residents say has
00:07been left behind. Local homes at Beagle Bay are maintained by the Department of Housing
00:13and Works. Plastic bags there to cover from the snakes coming inside. We've seen a snake
00:19inside so this one there, covered it up with a garbage bag. And you can see the ground
00:25is cracking because there's water underneath. For years residents have repeatedly complained
00:31to the department but say the repairs have been inadequate. They came and they put a bucket
00:38lid on the actual hole where they had to repair it. Someone should be held accountable for
00:46all the half done jobs. A licensed builder who wishes to remain anonymous told the ABC
00:52his inspections revealed serious failures by the department to meet maintenance obligations
00:57under the tenancy agreement. He deemed some houses unsafe and not fit for habitation. The builder
01:05said repairs at Melissa Smith's home failed to meet the National Construction Code.
01:10This house is making me sick and I can feel it in my body from living in this house for
01:17over
01:18eight years, nine years. I just don't want to be here anymore in this house with my kids.
01:26Community elder Willie Smith wants to establish an Aboriginal community controlled organisation
01:32for Beagle Bay. Make the government aware that we're still here, we're still living here.
01:37There are people here with the children here. If I was running a pig farm I wouldn't put the
01:42pigs in there, my own pigs to put them in these houses because it's all substandard houses
01:47now and it's just not good and people are paying rent for it. He says receiving confirmation of
01:52maintenance requests could be a step forward. In a statement the Department of Housing and Works said
01:58it was not practiced to give written confirmation of work orders to tenants given thousands are issued
02:03every year. It was not aware of any occupied dwelling in Beagle Bay assessed as structurally unsafe or unsound.
02:09Thank you very much.
02:11Thank you very much.
02:11You
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