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In September 2020, the State ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ announced $20 million of funding to build the East Kimberley Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation project.

The proposed Kununurra Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation (Kununurra Short Stay) will provide non-crisis accommodation to Aboriginal people who travel to Kununurra to access a range of essential services, training, education or employment, or are visiting for business, cultural or family reasons.

Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation aims to provide safe, culturally appropriate, and affordable short-term accommodation, helping to reduce rough sleeping and overcrowding of housing when Aboriginal people visit from across Country.

Project timeline

Heated construction market conditions and the significant, long-term impact of ex-tropical cyclone Ellie in early 2023 have impacted the initial timeframes for the Kununurra Short Stay. Communities is exploring alternative options for potential Short Stay locations in Kununurra that are within budget.

• September 2020: State ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ announces $20 million of funding for the East Kimberley Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation project.
• August 2021: Think Culture engaged to undertake stakeholder engagement to define project size, scale and scope.
• Early 2022: Architect procurement tender released to market.
• April 2022: Franco Carozzi Architects and Mark Phillips architect appointed to design the Short Stay.
• June 2024: Communities considering alternative locations for Kununurra Short Stay Accommodation that are within budget.

Community and stakeholder consultation

Communities engaged with the Aboriginal community, the community services sector, government agencies and a range of other stakeholders across the Kimberley region to ensure the Kununurra Short Stay is culturally appropriate and responsive to the place it is located, as well as the needs of the Aboriginal guests it will accommodate.

Findings from the stakeholder engagement have informed the initial build design and are contained in the Stakeholder Engagement Summary of Findings report.

Further stakeholder and community consultation will inform the final design of the facility and the place-based service model.

Resources

• Stakeholder Engagement Summary of Findings: Kununurra Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation.

More information

Project updates will be published on our website, or you can register for updates via email:  aboriginalshortstay@communities.wa.gov.au.

• Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation - frequently asked questions
• Overview of our Aboriginal Short Stay Accommodation projects