Ten elderly residents in an outback retirement village in the remote WA town will be forced to find alternative accommodation within 60 days after a controversial ruling their homes were ‘unsafe’ due to electrical, plumbing and structural issues.
The building dates to the 1960s and a previous council had committed to spend $4 million on repairs, but now Port Hedland Commissioner Fred Riebeling has declared the property unsafe.
The community however say the Commissioner is prioritising mining companies over the residents.
The WA government suspended the Town of Port Hedland council two months ago following complaints, and installed Commissioner Riebeling in its place.
Commissioner Riebeling said: “We are going to do our very, very best to house these people where they want to be housed, which is in Hedland.”
A possible rebuild of the site is on the cards, but residents will still need to be housed in the interim.
