An academic who has visited and researched living conditions in Northern Territory outstations for the past 30 years says it may be cheaper to continue providing education services to them rather than moving the people to larger hubs.
The Territory Government’s outstation policy has been in the spotlight recently, with MLA Marion Scrymgour resigning from Labor and turning independent because she was angry at plans to freeze funding to the small Indigenous communities.
Professor Jon Altman says a cost-benefit analysis could show that it is cheaper to take services to people on outstations.
“Is it better to bring out a visiting teacher and have a local teaching assistant, or do you try and bring kids to a hub community?” he said.
“And I daresay that the cost of bringing out a teacher is probably lower than shifting kids, their families, and rehousing them in the larger communities.”