In short:
A bus service transporting passengers between remote communities and Alice Springs says NT government funding cuts could force them to halt five of their routes.
uncertain
cuts → transport → routes
Local organisations say the service is critical and the loss of it could leave remote residents stuck in Alice Springs, staying in overcrowded homes.
uncertain
loss → say → homes
The NT government says the service missed out on funding because its costs were not comparative with other services in the Territory.
asserted
costs → say → Territory
Aboriginal people will be stranded in Alice Springs and forced to stay off country in overcrowded housing unless funding for a remote bus service is reinstated by the NT Government, according to local organisations.
uncertain
funding → strand → organisations
Centre Bush Bus has been transporting people, critical medical supplies and goods to remote Indigenous communities from Alice Springs for three decades.
asserted
Bus → transport → decades
Earlier this week the organisation's owners said a funding cut at the end of February had forced the reduction of services on five routes across Central Australia, from two trips a week to just one.
asserted
cut → say → one
Centre Bush Bus user Marlene Nampijinpa Spencer, who is from Kintore — a 10.5 hour drive from Alice Springs — said while her route had not been cut, a reduction in the service for any remote community would be devastating.
asserted
reduction → say → community
Ms Spencer is the chair of remote dialysis service Purple House and said she witnesses the necessity of remote transport on a daily basis.
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she → say → basis
"Old people with renal [needs]… people want to go to funerals in communities, they don't want to get stuck here, lonely," she said.
asserted
she → want → communities
"We want and need that bus, so people can jump in, and go to their community."
asserted
people → want → community
The affected routes include Santa Teresa, Atitjere-Engawala, Willowra, Hermannsberg-Areyonga and Titjikala-Finke, and Centre Bush Bus owner Tahnee Passmore-Barns said all of those routes were at risk of being cancelled altogether unless they received support.
asserted
they → include → support
Ms Passmore-Barns said since their funding stopped, they had been operating at a loss and had been trying to work behind the scenes to get it reinstated before going to the media this week.
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it → say → media
"We just can't run at a loss …
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We → run → loss
It's something that is quite heartbreaking for us because we have close relationships with all our communities and all our passengers," she said.
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she → have → communities
Local Aboriginal organisations and politicians have united in their calls for the service's funding to continue, citing health, safety and overcrowding concerns.
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funding → unite → concerns
The chief executive of remote Aboriginal dialysis provider Purple House Sarah Brown said it made "no sense" to cut services.
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it → say → services
"It would be an absolute catastrophe if the Northern Territory government lets down Bush Bus," she said.
"
asserted
she → let → Bus
If there's only one Bush Bus a week, it means they're stuck in Alice Springs.
asserted
they → be → Springs
We know that for a lot of people, they've already got more family members than the house can maintain.
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house → know → members
"People being stuck in town in inadequate housing puts a severe pressure on that family group and their relationships."
asserted
stuck → stick → group
Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner said the government had a duty to ensure people in remote places had transport options and described any funding cut as "short sighted".
asserted
people → say → cut
"Our concern is that this is a vital arterial route for people in remote areas to access services and the service is important, which should be available to all citizens in the Northern Territory," he said.
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he → access → Territory
Too expensive to run
Infrastructure Minister Bill Yan, whose electorate of Namatjira covers many of the impacted bus routes, said the service missed out on funding in 2025-26 because "they didn't meet the criteria" and "costs were not comparative with services provided in other regions" in the NT.
asserted
costs → run → NT
"The total budget for the Remote Transport Program in 2026-27 is $3.132 million, increased by $67,000 from the 2025-26 budget of $3.065 million to offset fuel and wages increases," Mr Yan said in a statement.
asserted
Yan → increase → statement
"We did provide a one-off time limited grant of $667,000 between October 1 and February 28 to Centre Bush Bus on five specific runs with twice weekly services for support over the summer period.
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We → provide → period
"Based on these figures, if a decision was made to extend the grant funding to 12 months, it would have cost $1.6m to service nine communities.
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it → base → communities
"This would leave around half the budget to service the other 50 communities across the Territory."
asserted
This → leave → Territory
He said the funding was not designed as ongoing and the service could reapply for the grant program.
uncertain
service → say → program
However, Centre Bush Bus is the only scheduled transport and freight service running on regular timetables to some communities.
asserted
Bus → schedule → communities
The government has not confirmed whether any other bus companies were successful in securing a grant to cover these routes.
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companies → confirm → routes
Labor member for the remote electorate of Gwoja Chansey Paech said this was "an absolutely pathetic excuse".
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this → say → Gwoja
"The government heavily subsidises public transport in Darwin and Alice Springs, so why should people living in remote communities be treated any differently," he said.
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he → subsidise → communities
Ms Passmore-Barns said increased diesel prices, long travel distances and staffing were all part of the cost of the service.
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prices → say → service
No communication
Ms Passmore-Barns said information in Mr Yan's statement about the service's cost effectiveness and having not met the criteria was new to her.
asserted
information → say → her
"The criteria over the last 10 or 20 years was pretty much the same, we've done dozens of applications and they've all been successful so I was actually very surprised …
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I → do → applications
to be told it was not accepted was quite a shock," she said.
asserted
she → tell → ?
"Then to try and get feedback and not get any doesn't help."
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try → try → any
She said the service was providing value for money.
asserted
service → say → money
"The only reason you would need funding is for those smaller communities who don't have the population to make the services sustainable," she said.
"
asserted
she → need → population
The government even call our services essential services on their list of services in the Territory, but it doesn't look like they're essential services so much anymore."
asserted
they → call → Territory
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia