One in three Cape York Indigenous residents waiting for government housing
Seisia is a Cape York town with around 300 people. About one in three residents are waiting for government housing.
Rebecca Williams has been living in a storage yard on the outskirts of Seisia for three months. Williams sleeps in a swag, has no power, and feels unsafe at night.
Williams has been on the housing waiting list for more than 11 years. About 100 Indigenous residents in Seisia are waiting for government housing.
That is roughly one in three people in the community. Rising costs and encroaching seas have created a housing crisis.
A sea-level rise of just 50 centimetres could make coastal flooding across Australia 300 times more likely, based on government estimates. Williams has been offered emergency accommodation.
The regional housing shortage remains a pressing challenge for the community.
- More than 11 years
- Williams' waiting time
- Around 300 people
- Seisia population
Why it mattersIndigenous communities in vulnerable coastal areas risk losing their homes. They need urgent housing investment and climate adaptation.
AustraliaCape York Indigenous residents face potential permanent displacement unless government urgently addresses housing shortage and coastal erosion.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
