Peak Aboriginal health organisations in the Northern Territory have called on the chief minister Michael Gunner to place a moratorium on power disconnections while remote communities struggle through Covid outbreaks.
The groups, including Purple House, Tangentyere Aboriginal Council, and AMSANT have warned in a letter that without access to refrigeration or cooling, the strict lockdown measures become much harder to maintain, especially in overcrowded homes.
"Household solutions to regular and extended power disconnections are limited to living outdoors or to shelter in other households when the weather is extreme," states the letter.
"Household power outages encourage people to move between households, as has already been witnessed and experienced in COVID-affected communities."
According to a recent paper, remote First Nations communities have the highest rate of disconnection in the world. The research, , says the chance of power disconnection can be as high as one in three in extreme weather.
With temperatures expected to soar in the Top End in the coming weeks, fears are mounting that energy insecurity will increase and the virus's spread could be exacerbated.
Gadrian Hoosan, Roper Gulf Shire Councillor and Borroloola community spokesperson, said the communities are facing difficulties with the spread of the virus and the existing lockdown measures.
"... temperatures are very hot and households are overcrowded, so we are using a lot of power and it’s too much for families to afford. Fridges are going off and there is no cooling in our homes when the power credit runs out," he said.
"We are calling on the Chief Minister to act immediately and guarantee electricity supply for households so families can isolate and stay locked down safely."
