Henry Pike (Bowman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

North Stradbroke Island is paradise. It draws tourists from all over Australia, not just for its amazing beaches and natural beauty but increasingly for the cultural experiences delivered by the island's Indigenous community. But hidden from the eyes of tourists and too often ignored by the eyes of policymakers are the illegal settlements which have housed many Indigenous residents for decades. Last week I joined local elders to visit the settlements at One Mile, Two Mile, the former Myora reserve and areas around Amity Point to learn more about the housing challenges on the island. Many of these areas predate European arrival as sites of Indigenous habitation, yet the current residents have no official tenure over the land they occupy.

Some of the properties are clearly well built and well maintained. Others are constructed from whatever is available and affordable. Some are constructed from scrap materials. Others are extensions and mobile homes. These informal settlements have no mains water or sewerage connections. Roads are carved out of the sand and frequently washed away. Homes are powered by generators and other makeshift electricity connections. In One Mile, a single skip bin is provided by the council to cater for the household rubbish of over 60 people. I regret to inform the House that just 38 kilometres from the centre of Brisbane we have Australians living in Third World conditions.

Some of these encampments are on unallocated state land, but most are on land subject to native title. There is no security of tenure on these homes. There are no planning approvals, no building approvals and no title office registrations. Most are simply built on land that is claimed by an individual, sometimes with unofficial sanction from offices within the prescribed body corporate. Of course, with no title and no tenure these properties can't be insured, and they can't have the services that are expected in the nearby townships. While many homes have existed in families for decades, they cannot be formally sold or leased.

I worry for the welfare of my constituents living in these encampments. I worry about the severe bushfire risk that they face. I worry about the lack of security, both financial and physical, that these properties provide to their owners. And, with the complete lack of housing options on North Stradbroke Island, I worry that this situation will only get worse as time goes on. The successful native title decision in 2011 has done little to resolve this impasse. These residents want to live on the land of their ancestors, but they don't want to trade their current status of de facto ownership just to become tenants of the prescribed body corporate.

Sadly, governments have largely turned a blind eye to this problem, but the elders have some innovative policy solutions that could provide an equitable resolution. These include the Aboriginal rights of residence proposal, which could enable community ownership, investment in essential infrastructure and more housing supply, while creating trade and training opportunities for locals. I'll be working with elders, residents and other stakeholders to try to give the Australians living in these settlements the security they deserve.