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The Martu community has invested in Chinese-made modular housing to address unsafe living conditions.
As first reported by the ABC, the Martu community of Punmu in Western Australia’s Western Desert has taken matters into its own hands after decades of inadequate housing and stalled government action.
For more than 50 years, residents have waited for new homes to replace overcrowded and deteriorating stock built in the 1980s. Many dwellings are now considered uninhabitable, with mould, warped floors, and constant plumbing failures leaving families in unsafe conditions. Martu elder Raylene Robinson described some nights as so unbearable she would rather sleep outside.
Turning overseas for solutions
Unable to secure government-funded housing, the community has pooled money from its shop, fuel stop, and tourist accommodation to purchase two prefabricated homes manufactured in China. Costing $20,000 to buy and an additional $40,000 to transport and install, the container-based structures are expected to arrive later this year.
Punmu coordinator Edith Costello said the homes represent a stopgap rather than a long-term solution. “They won’t last like government-standard housing, but if they last 10 years, then they’ve paid for themselves,” she explained.
The decision to source housing from overseas highlights the complexities of land tenure in the region. Because Punmu sits within Karlamilyi National Park, residents lack formal land rights, which the WA government says prevents new government-funded construction. A 2021 ministerial statement of intent to excise the community from the park has not yet resulted in legislative change.
Broader impacts on regional centres
Punmu’s housing shortfall mirrors conditions across other Martu settlements such as Parnngurr, Jigalong, and Kunawarritji. As properties deteriorate, more families are relocating to Newman, the mining hub 700 kilometres south-west. The shift is fuelling overcrowding in East Newman, where boarded-up houses owned by BHP sit alongside new residences for mine managers.
BHP has pledged to refurbish a portion of these homes and has invested in community initiatives, but critics argue the focus on Newman fails to address the core issue of safe housing in remote settlements.
Political and financial deadlock
Responsibility for remote housing has long been disputed between state and federal governments. While funds have been allocated under WA’s Remote Communities Fund and a federal repair program, advocates say the amounts fall well short of what is needed to build durable housing in the desert.
For now, Punmu’s residents are relying on prefabricated container houses as a temporary measure while waiting for governments to resolve legal and policy barriers to permanent housing.
Source: ABC
