MEDIA RELEASE
NCRA Report confirms need for climate-resilient public housing in the Remote Kimberley
Broome, WA – 15 September 2025
Kimberley Community Legal Services (KCLS) says the National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA) report reinforces what residents in remote Aboriginal communities and towns across the Kimberley have been saying for years: public housing in the region is not fit for a changing climate now, let alone with the projected increase in risk between now and 2050.
The escalating risks of heat, flooding and cyclones across northern Australia, identified in the NCRA, are already a daily reality for thousands of Kimberley residents living in overcrowded and poorly maintained public housing.
“The report mirrors the lived experiences of our clients at KCLS who are already struggling in homes that are not fit for purpose for the climate we live in” said KCLS CEO Matt Panayi. “Our Stuck in the Heat report and current housing maintenance survey show that too many Kimberley homes turn into ‘sweat boxes’ during the build-up and wet season. People are living in houses that can’t keep them cool, while urgent repairs are delayed for months. These are significant issues that particularly impact children and older people who are more vulnerable.”
KCLS emphasised that this issue is key to Closing the Gap. Safe, climate-adapted housing is fundamental to health and wellbeing outcomes, yet Aboriginal people in the Kimberley remain disproportionately affected by overcrowding, energy poverty, and preventable illness linked to poor housing.
KCLS is calling for urgent investment in housing designed for Kimberley climate conditions – with proper shade, ventilation, insulation, and access to efficient, affordable air conditioning. More homes are needed to reduce overcrowding, and maintenance must be delivered locally and on time. Importantly, solutions must lean into the expertise of Kimberley Aboriginal people, who have lived with climate shifts over millennia.
“Without change, people across remote Kimberley communities will continue to pay the price of inadequate housing in a changing climate,” Mr Panayi said.
KCLS will be releasing its housing maintenance report early next year with concrete recommendations to the way public housing is maintained by the WA State Government tailored to the Kimberley context.
Media contact:
Akira Boardman, Kimberley Community Legal Services
0431 385 255
