Scullion must stop playing games with the lives of Territorians living in remote communities.

This mornings announcement about a new way of providing money for remote Indigenous housing in the Northern Territory raises more questions than it answers. The half-baked plan provides no surety of funding for remote Indigenous housing, and still no commitment to match the NT Governments $1.1 billion expenditure over ten years.

The provision of adequate housing is vital if we are to close the gap on health, education and employment.

Senator Scullion must commit to urgent discussions to resolve ongoing issues of remote township leasing.

In 2017 Senator Scullion committed to match the NT Governments funding for remote Indigenous housing over the next decade. Then he changed his mind. Since then the NT Government and Territorians working and living in remote housing have been left asking questions.

Senator Scullion has had more than enough time to make up his mind on what a future remote housing program would look like. It is outrageous that remote Indigenous Territorians are paying the price because of the Senators inability to make a decision on something as fundamental as housing.

On top of the failure of the Turnbull Government to address the NTs GST shortfall, the ongoing failure to commit to housing for the long term, just adds insult to injury.

Territorians deserve better than a half-baked idea that lacks detail and removes any responsibility for remote Indigenous housing from the Turnbull Government.