Some of Australia's most isolated residents live with black mould and broken toilets in government housing
Inside one of Australia's most isolated communities, bug infestations, walls covered in black mould and broken toilets are just some of the issues plaguing residents' homes.
When Matilda Djanghara and her two granddaughters need to use the toilet, they're forced to walk down the road.
"I take them to my brother's house, but it's so far," she says.
Kalumburu resident Matilda Djanghara has to walk down the road to use the toilet. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
She says her toilet hasn't worked for weeks.
A towel sits over the drain on her bathroom floor, soaking up water that gushes out if it's flushed.
The plumbing issue means the bathroom and kitchen sinks also pool with water.
Matilda Djanghara has to soak up water that gushes out of the drain on her bathroom floor. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
Cupboards and window flyscreens are broken. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
She's one of about 300 people who live in Kalumburu, Western Australia's most northern community.
It was more than 30 degrees and 80 per cent humidity when the ABC visited last month, with Matilda's home offering no reprieve.
She points to an air conditioning unit coated in black dust, saying it has been broken for months.
Matilda Djanghara says the flyscreen doesn't unlock, leaving her worried about the safety of her granddaughters. (ABC Kimberley: Dunja Karagic)
On her porch, Matilda points to a window, the flyscreen coming up with a pull.
"This window doesn't even shut. There's no safety," she says.
Matilda worries about her granddaughters' health and safety.
Like most houses in Kalumburu, Matilda's is owned by the WA government through the Department of Housing, meaning she can't do the repairs herself.
Matilda Djanghara is worried for the safety of her daughters. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
Instead, she must wait for a government contractor to repair any issues.
But getting to Kalumburu isn't easy.
It is only accessible by air for half the year due to flooding, with flights every third day.
Kalumburu is the most northern community in Western Australia. (ABC News)
Despite the issues, Matilda pays rent to live here.
"How are we paying rent when nothing is fixed?" she says.
No hot water
Next door, Kieran Karadada also walks to a relative's house to use the toilet.
When he flushes the toilet or uses the kitchen sink, water floods his floors.
Stagnant brown water sits pooled in the bathroom sink, unable to drain.
Keiran Karadada's blocked bathroom sink does not drain. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
"I pay rent and I can't use the toilet," Kieran says.
To make a cup of tea, he walks to the backyard to fill the kettle from an outdoor tap.
He says he has no hot water, making showering in the colder months difficult.
Kieran Karadada says waiting for the department to fix his house is a "headache". (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
He says his living situation has been like this for years, but no-one from the Department has visited his home.
"It's a headache waiting for them," he says.
Rotten floors
Elder Dorothy Djanghara watches her step as she walks on her porch.
The wood has rotted away in multiple places from the heavy rain, leaving jagged holes where floorboards used to be.
Every time it rains at Dorothy's house, the timber deck gets softer and more dangerous. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
"Every time the rain comes, it makes the timber soft," she says.
She says her daughter had once fallen "straight through the timber".
The only other way into Dorothy's home is through the back steps, but she says this is even riskier.
Makeshift metal and stone steps balance on two bricks, which wobble beneath her feet.
There is no safe entry into Dorothy Djanghara's house. (ABC Kimberley: Dunja Karagic)
"The stairs are not safe because of the injuries in my knees," she says.
"I'm so scared of coming up or going down.
Dorothy says it's been this way for over three years.
"[The Department] only take photos, they never did anything."
With children often visiting, she's worried someone might "hurt themselves or break their leg".
Elder Dorothy Djanghara is scared every time she has to leave the house because of her rotten decking. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
"We are paying so much money to rent and living in a house like this where there is no help," she says.
Beyond repair
Multiple residents tell the ABC to visit the house with the paperbark tree.
They say it's the "worst" in the community in terms of disrepair.
Kalumburu residents say the "paperbark tree" house is the worst for damage. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
Inside, elder Bernadette Waina sits on a couch beside family members seated on a mattress on the floor.
Multiple family members yell at once, pointing to a myriad of issues.
Bernadette Waina says her front door doesn't close properly, leaving enough room for snakes and toads to venture inside. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertogio)
Bernadette walks to her front door, closing a flyscreen that leaves a gap about 10cm wide.
"Snakes and cane toads come in through here," she says.
Bernadette Waina shows how big the gap is when she tries to close her door. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
Bernadette Waina doesn't feel safe in her home because her front door cannot close properly. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
Stepping outside, the floor is uneven and makeshift installations hold together an air-conditioning unit.
Despite the intense heat in Kalumburu, air conditioning is not a standard inclusion in public housing, meaning many households have made ad hoc installations.
Outside Bernadette Waina's house, the floor is uneven and makeshift installations hold up her air-conditioning unit. (ABC Kimberley: Dunja Karagic )
While the ABC visits, a worker approaches Bernadette's front door.
"It's the housing mob," her son yells out.
A worker's hand comes through the flyscreen and replaces a small fan switch dial.
He doesn't step inside, and says he has 30 jobs on his list but this is his only one for Bernadette's house.
A Department of Housing worker comes to Bernadette's house to fix the fan switch, but nothing else. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
When the ABC asks why he doesn't stay longer to complete more repairs, he says plane capacity is limited and Kalumburu is "not a great place to stay".
Bernadette shakes her head in anger, saying the Department often sends maintenance workers for "a couple of hours", meaning critical jobs are left unfinished.
"How much is the government spending on a charter plane?" she says.
"They do things in a hurry, and we still got problems."
The Department of Housing and Works did not respond to questions on how much it spends to charter a plane to Kalumburu.
Bernadette Waina and her daughter, Natasha Waina. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
Bernadette doesn't hold back, saying the process has her feeling "pissed off".
"It's not right. They live in luxury, in good homes. We might as well go live in a cave," she says.
Bug infestation
Bernadette walks the ABC to her daughter Natasha Waina's house.
Bernadette and Natasha Waina walk down a semi-flooded road in Kalumburu. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
Inside, the kitchen sink has food sitting in stagnant water.
"I had it [like this] for two years, it's been blocked," Natasha says.
She says she told the Department, but workers only came for a couple of hours and hadn't fixed it properly.
"I used it again and it blocked," she says.
Natasha Waina says she has to walk to the outside tap to make a tea. (ABC Kimberley: Dunja Karagic)
Natasha walks to the laundry sink or outside tap whenever she needs water.
Black mould coats the doors, walls and the floor inside her bathroom.
Black mould coats the walls and floors of Natasha Waina's home. (ABC Kimberley: Dunja Karagic)
An empty air conditioning wall cavity is stuffed with clothing and furniture, in an attempt to keep bugs out.
Inside, pests cover the walls, coating the faces of religious statues.
Broken locks
Inside Charmaine Djanghara's house, a deep freezer is pulled against her entry door.
Charmaine says she uses it as a safety mechanism, because her front door and flyscreen haven't locked since last year.
Charmaine Djanghara moves a deep freezer in front of the door to make her home safe. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
"I keep reporting and reporting and nothing is done," she said.
The single parent of three says she worries about the safety of her children, saying they haven't had hot water for at least three years.
Charmaine Djanghara says her home has not had hot water for three years. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
"I just want to keep them safe and live in a better home," Charmaine says.
"I am losing hope."
Falling through the cracks
Tenants must report maintenance issues with the department by phone.
But in Kalumburu, phone and internet reception often cuts out.
For many residents, English is not their first language and some cannot read or write.
People say reports have fallen through the cracks, with some blaming the current Kalumburu Aboriginal Corporation (KAC) or previous leadership.
Kalumburu residents have been calling on the Department of Housing to do more frequent inspections. (ABC Giulia Bertoglio)
Despite this, residents have called on the department to do more frequent inspections.
According to the department's policy, it must conduct up to four inspections each year to identify maintenance issues and arrange required repairs.
KAC chief executive Kim Holm says this hasn't been happening.
"If they were here six-monthly or 12-monthly … people would have that opportunity [to raise issues]," she says.
Having worked in remote locations around the country, Kim says nothing compares to Kalumburu.
Kim Holm says some of the government-owned homes are in dismal condition. (ABC Kimberley: Giulia Bertoglio)
"This is the absolute worst I have seen," she says.
"It's just dismal."
"[The department] … have not respected the human beings living here and I'm really disappointed."
Kim would like to see a different approach.
"When they come, they fix one or two minor things, they don't look at the bigger picture," she says.
"Rather than flying someone in for a day, fly someone in for a week, get the jobs done and fly them out again."
Late last year, Aboriginal Community Housing Limited, which manages inspections in Kalumburu on behalf of the department, visited most houses in the community to document issues.
While Kim says she received confirmation the report had been submitted to the department, "nothing has happened since".
"We're still sitting here waiting with derelict houses and people living in absolutely poor conditions," she says.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Works said it endeavoured to respond to all maintenance requests in "a timely manner".
"However factors such as extreme weather events, remoteness and an inability to access tenancies may cause delays," the spokesperson said.
"Road access to Kalumburu has been significantly restricted due to serious cyclone activity, however DHW actively works to clear any maintenance backlogs.
"DHW has been working to address maintenance concerns in Kalumburu, and contractors are scheduled to return to Kalumburu in the coming weeks."
The department did not respond to questions on the average cost associated with sending contractors to Kalumburu.