‘Forced out with nowhere to go’: First Nations families face eviction as council sells homes over charity’s unpaid rates
Fifteen First Nations families in Mount Isa, Australia, face imminent eviction as the local council auctions off their homes to recover unpaid rates. The debt was accrued by a non-profit organization, leaving residents unaware of the situation until recently.
Why it matters
This highlights systemic failures in housing security for Indigenous populations and the potential for bureaucratic debt collection to cause homelessness.
Fifteen First Nations families face eviction when Mount Isa city councils auctions off their homes. Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP Fifteen First Nations families face eviction when Mount Isa city councils auctions off their homes. Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP Indigenous Australians ‘Forced out with nowhere to go’: First Nations families face eviction as council sells homes over charity’s unpaid rates Mount Isa city council to auction off first of 24 homes after Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Welfare Services accrues almost $1m in unpaid debts
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Prefer the Guardian on Google A rural Queensland council is auctioning off 24 homes to recover unpaid rates, potentially forcing First Nations families into homelessness.
Residents claim they were left in the dark about the debt, which stretches back years, until five months ago.
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