Newman locals have raised concerns over the number of dilapidated and vacant homes in the Pilbara town.

The town, which has a large Indigenous population, is at the heart of Western Australia's lucrative iron ore sector.

Mining giant BHP owns 1100 homes in Newman, 130 of which are empty and boarded up. A further 135 homes in the Pilbara region owned by the state government are also vacant – with a state government spokesperson confirming 20 of which are being considered for either demolition or redevelopment.

With rents sky high in WA's mining towns, the empty and often derelict homes have sparked an outcry.

Martu Elder Peter Tinker told The West Australian the situation is "all the time getting worse", particularly in East Newman.

His home, which is in disrepair driven by overcrowding and has unreliable power and no hot water, is one of the better ones in his street.

Some abandoned homes have been wrecked by vandals and some burnt down.

Local Troy Patching told The West that abandoned buildings, including the local bowls club which lost its roof in a storm, created a cycle of misuse and abuse.

"If it looks like shit people will treat it like shit," he said.

BHP WA Iron Ore Asset President Tim Day acknowledged there is "more to do on housing and underlying social challenges" in the town.

"But thanks to the work happening in the community, we are seeing positive results. Crime rates have more than halved, childcare waitlists have been eliminated and community-led projects that support safety, education and health services are helping make Newman a better place to live and work," he said.

"The housing situation in Newman is something we are working together to solve, and BHP along with local police and community groups, the Shire, and government agencies are working collectively to do this.

"While housing refurbishments haven't happened as quickly as any of us would like, due to factors such as COVID-19 and shortages of qualified tradespeople, we are making progress."

A WA government spokesperson told National Indigenous Times that records at the end of 2024 show there were 1,457 public housing properties in the Pilbara Region of which 135 were vacant, 115 of which "are currently in the process of being relet to people on the public housing waitlist" and the other 20 "undergoing further assessment for future use".

"Vacancy numbers are always a single point in time number that fluctuates for a range of reasons. Properties may be awaiting acceptance of offers from applicants, undergoing minor maintenance repairs or refurbishment prior to new occupants moving in, or undergoing major refurbishment as part of a redevelopment," they said.

Mr Day said BHP has a refurbishment program underway for the homes owned by the mining company, with around 30 more dwellings expected to be renovated and ready by the end of the year.

"This goes hand-in-hand with similar work being done by the Shire and government agencies to ensure that, together, we deliver the best outcomes for Newman," he said.

"Our approach also includes donating vacant homes and social investment funds to community groups like Puntukurnu Aboriginal Medical Services for their dialysis patients to have a place to stay, providing affordable leasing to local organisations and their workers to support the local economy and, where the market warrants, selling properties into the Newman community."

Mr Day said the work is guided by the East Newman Precinct Structure Plan, "which was co-designed and led by Nyiyaparli and Martu representatives and reflects the wants and needs of the entire community".

"We believe the plan presents a large part of the solution and a great opportunity for all of us to lean in and help implement it," he said.

The WA government spokesperson said if there are privately owned underutilised dwellings or properties that could be brought onto the local rental and housing market, held by private companies, "every effort should be made to provide more housing for the Pilbara".

The Labor Party recently announced that if re-elected it will invest $7.5 million in a new Youth and Community Hub for Newman, providing a "one stop shop to support local young people to thrive", to feature "a youth centre and library, multipurpose sports court, pump track, and community seed bank, as well as resources to help Aboriginal communities preserve their language and culture".