Many millions have been spent in the Northern Territory under the federal government's Emergency Response, known simply as the Intervention.
In Alice Springs alone, about 150 million dollars has been spent building 86 new houses and refurbishing nearly 200 old ones, but still there are no houses in Whitegate.
The federal government has just secured its Stronger Futures legislation, a ten year extension of the intervention which promises to address the social needs of the Territory's indigenous citizens.
But a spokeswoman for Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin says Whitegate is a special situation as there's no secure tenure over land, meaning houses cannot be built there.
"More than 500 extra beds have been delivered under the Alice Springs Transformation Plan to tackle overcrowding and better cater for visitors. This includes 86 new houses and 196 upgrades to houses in the town camps," she said.
"We are unable to build houses at Whitegate because there is no secure land tenure. The residents and visitors to Whitegate have accessed the support programs and other accommodation options funded under the $150 million Alice Springs Transformation Plan".
She says the Commonwealth is negotiating with the Territory government for a solution, but that's being complicated by a native title claim.
The spokeswoman says the best option for people seeking houses may be to move to another camp.
Karen Ashford reports.
