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Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin. Macklin says no deal yet on Alice Springs camps Friday, 22 May 2009 7:22:35 AM NATIONAL, May 22, 2009: The Aboriginal council which oversees the Alice Springs town camps is yet to agree to a Rudd government offer of $125 million for new housing and services. The Tangentyere Council has been reluctant to do a deal because it involves signing over traditional lands to the Northern Territory government for 40 years. Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin says a deal is yet to be struck even though there's just hours remaining before the Thursday deadline expires. "We haven't heard from them yet," Ms Macklin told reporters in Sydney. "(But) I hope the Tangentyere Council and Alice Springs housing associations will agree to the very generous announcement the government has made." Labor has vowed to invest $125 million to improve the condition of the camps only if the council signs a 40-year lease. Ms Macklin said the communities were living in "appalling conditions". "There's shocking overcrowding, terrible standards of housing and appalling infrastructure," she said. "It is necessary for the government to get in there." But the Commonwealth won't do the work unless it has a secure footing. "We need security over the land on which we intend to build," Ms Macklin said. "That's the sort of land tenure security we expect whenever we build a house anywhere." The government says land tenure security ensures accountability for maintaining the housing stock. - AAP Printer Friendly Version  Email Story to a Friend Submit Letter to Editor