First published in The Australian

THE Aboriginal council in charge of Alice Springs' town camps has confirmed the camps' governing bodies will honour an agreement with the federal government to sign long-term leases.

THE Aboriginal council in charge of Alice Springs' town camps has confirmed the camps' governing bodies will honour an agreement with the federal government to sign long-term leases.

Tangentyere Council president Walter Shaw said the town camps' housing associations had agreed to the terms of the sub-leases being offered by the government.

And the notoriously tight-lipped council also revealed the key issue behind the protracted negotiations over a 40-year lease.

"The main sticking point had always been the fate of people who might face eviction by Territory Housing, when the government took over tenancy management in the town camps," Mr Shaw said. "Tangentyere was concerned people would end up sleeping in the Todd River and other public spaces."

Lease negotiations had been underway for 15 months when Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin announced in July that the housing associations had agreed to sign leases with the federal government in exchange for a $100 million investment in housing and infrastructure.

But a legal bid launched by residents further delayed the deal. That Federal Court case was dismissed last week. The residents have until Thursday to appeal