The North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) is calling on the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments to urgently fix glaring inequities and failures in the emergency response to the recent flooding across the Big Rivers region.

NAAJA CEO Ben Grimes said the organisation has serious concerns about the uneven and poorly co-ordinated delivery of relief support to flood-affected Aboriginal communities near Katherine.

“What we’re seeing is a patchwork response that leaves some of the most vulnerable people in our region without the same access to help as others,” Mr Grimes said.

“Families from communities like Wugularr, Jilkminggan, Daly River, Palumpa and surrounding outstations are displaced and struggling, but it’s unclear when or how they will receive the same emergency payments and assistance that Katherine residents have been offered.”

While residents in the Katherine Town Council area can access support through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangement (DRFA), NAAJA says there is little to no information for other surrounding Aboriginal communities about their eligibility, payment timelines, or how to get help if they are unable to travel to evacuation centres.

Mr Grimes said this lack of planning and communication has worsened the hardship for people already reeling from the floods.

“Many of our clients are living in social housing and low-lying areas hardest hit by floodwaters. Some households have lost everything. The system isn’t built to quickly support them in a crisis—it’s making recovery slower and more painful than it needs to be,” he said.

NAAJA is calling for immediate emergency measures, including:

• An automatic pause on mutual obligation requirements and debt repayments for all affected social security recipients.
• In-person support from Services Australia to help people apply for disaster recovery payments.
• A freeze on rent for social housing tenants in flood-affected areas, with refunds for any rent paid since March 6.

Mr Grimes said agencies must learn from the missteps in this response and ensure that Aboriginal communities are fully included in planning and resource allocation going forward.

“This disaster shows yet again how unequal access to essential services deepens the impact of natural events on Aboriginal communities. Governments need to act now, not just to fix what’s broken, but to stop this happening again,” he said.

NAAJA continues to assist displaced residents and affected communities to access housing, financial, and legal assistance. 

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