The Minister for Indigenous Australians says the Northern Territory Government has yet to respond to a Commonwealth offer to split the cost of acquiring Darwin's largest homeless shelter, even as hundreds of vulnerable women and children face homelessness.
The housing future of hundreds of Territorians was thrown into limbo last month after the Country Liberal Party (CLP) Government gave Yilli Rreung Housing Aboriginal Corporation 90 days to vacate its short-stay accommodation premises after a failure to agree on a price for the property.
Whilst the YiSSA Short-Stay Accommodation sits on Crown land, the accommodation blocks are owned by Ausco and leased to the Northern Territory Government under a five-year agreement worth between $2.5 million and $3 million per year.
Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill previously said Ausco "would not come to the party", despite the government offering a "fair market price in an effort to be able to continue to function at that site".
It was previously reported the NT Government offered Ausco $3 million to purchase the property.
The owners have reportedly valued the entire 300-room facility at between $8 million and $12 million, after previously spending $25 million developing the 7.5-hectare site in 2012.
However, last week, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy seemed to contradict Ms Cahill's comments by saying the Commonwealth had offered to go halves with the NT Government on the purchase. However, weeks later, she was still awaiting a response.
"I've certainly reached out on behalf of the Commonwealth to the Northern Territory Government and urged the Northern Territory Government to continue negotiating with Ausco," she told reporters.
"I've certainly spoken with Ausco. I've certainly spoken with the Northern Territory Government about keeping the facility open. I have made an offer to the Northern Territory Government to purchase the facility with them. To go halves in that purchase. And I'm just awaiting a response."
Senator McCarthy added while negotiations had been taking place over several weeks, "I certainly haven't got a response just yet, but I'm hoping it's imminent".
"YiSSA has been home to so many people, black and white, because they're the people who need it," she said.
"We will not see as good a place to what that is right now, for quite some time. And I urge the Northern Territory Government to meet me halfway on this. We can together buy this facility, and we can together support the families and the staff at YiSSA."
Asked if the $8 million to $12 million price tag was correct, she added: "It actually wasn't that amount...I won't go into the figure, but it certainly wasn't as high as that."
The Northern Territory has the highest rate of homelessness in the country, at almost 12 times the national average. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people comprise 87 per cent of the Territory's homeless population.
In a statement last month, then Aboriginal Housing NT chief executive officer Leeanne Caton said many vulnerable people in the Territory relied on YiSSA to provide a "safe place to stay while accessing medical care, escaping violence, connecting with services or taking steps towards stable housing".
"For many families from remote communities, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations must be genuine partners in planning the next steps for families," she said.
Under the direction of the Department of Children and Families, people staying in the 28-day accommodation program will be required to leave by August 25, while all remaining residents are expected to vacate the site by October 11.
