Picture courtesy preventioncentre.org.au
By Kirstyn Lindsay, CAAMA News National Correspondent
Multijulu Health Service Director Gary Cole is a Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjra man who helps steer the Rise Ngurratjuta employment program in Mutijulu.
Gary says the cost of living has always been high for his Anangu people and now more expensive since the start of the pandemic.
Most remote communities would have similar challenges accessing fresh and affordable food.
Food staples like meat, bread, milk and water are at all time high in 2023 and he says that the food is better quality, cheaper and fresher at the store in the resort at Yulara but not accessible for his people without a car.
The cost of petrol and car repairs makes it harder for Anangu people to go hunting for their traditional foods and Gary says there is some bush tucker and medicine growing around Mutijulu, but he would like to see more support from the Northern Territory Government to bring food and drinkable water prices down.
CAAMA Radio’s Kirstyn Lindsay spoke to Gary Cole.