Northern Territory closes Darwin's largest short-term accommodation center, seriously ill residents relocated to remote town 100 kilometers away

Australia's Northern Territory's largest short-term accommodation center — the 400-bed YiSSA — closed that day. Some residents with serious illnesses who need access to nearby healthcare were arranged to travel by bus to the remote town of Batchelor, which is approximately 100 kilometers from the nearest comprehensive hospital in Darwin.

According to ABC News, the Northern Territory government had previously publicly pledged that "medically vulnerable" residents would not be transferred to Batchelor, and stated that "anyone who needs medical services will not be denied access to medical care." Yet Tirathia Gore, a YiSSA residents' spokesperson, told ABC News that day that some residents with serious illnesses, including herself, were still being moved out of Darwin.

Gore has rheumatic heart disease and needs access to nearby healthcare. She expressed concerns about emergency conditions after being moved to Batchelor:

"If I'm stuck there with no way to get into town, and I fall ill — the ambulance just won't arrive in time."

"Are they planning to carry out another body?"

"I'm worried about the elderly people who are going there, they're all sick. I know there's a couple being treated for cancer, and another person on dialysis — where will they go for treatment?"

Gore said she did not take her children with her but left them with family members to be looked after. "My children need me too, but I can't drag them into the situation I'm in now. I'd rather go stay there for a week, then come straight back into town. If there's no other option, I have no choice but to sleep on the streets."

ABC News understands that some people with medical conditions were also given accommodation arrangements to stay in Darwin — which means a clear gap has emerged between the government's pledges and the actual execution.

The readiness of the new facility is also in question. ABC News understands that when residents arrived, furniture was still being assembled on site, and finishing work was still underway. Opposition leader Selena Uibo, criticizing the government for having "botched the whole relocation operation," pointed out that gravel was still being laid at the Batchelor site, the modular buildings had not yet been completed, and the location was unsuitable for those with mobility issues who use wheelchairs and walking frames. She said the "Country Liberals have done a terrible job on the YiSSA transition."

Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Mallee said that day that the new YiSSA site at Batchelor is "in the final stages of commissioning," that the government would arrange bus services between Batchelor and Darwin city center, and emphasized that this is a "voluntary service."

ABC News asked the Northern Territory government before deadline whether construction approvals for the new site had been obtained, whether it would be ready on time, and the reasons for the delays, but received no response.

A further concerning incident also occurred on the day of the move. According to ABC News, a transfer bus carrying fewer than 30 passengers — including the elderly and infants — broke down en route, and passengers waited in temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius for approximately 20 minutes, until 2:00 p.m. when a replacement vehicle arrived.