7 April 2026
A full school holiday program is now underway in Batchelor to support children and young people from flood-affected communities, alongside strengthened safety, communication and community support measures.
The Northern Territory Government has engaged directly with Batchelor residents following the establishment of temporary accommodation for evacuees, with representatives from the Department of Children and Families, Department of Education and Training, Northern Territory Police and ministers attending a recent community meeting to hear concerns and outline actions.
Over the Easter weekend, Welfare Group teams also delivered outreach support in Wugularr (Beswick) and Katherine, helping flood-affected residents access Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) financial assistance and continuing recovery efforts in community.
The Department of Children and Families (DCF) lead the government's Welfare Functional Group and is responsible for operations at the 2 temporary accommodation sites at the Batchelor Indigenous Institution for Tertiary Education and the Bachelor Outdoor Education Centre, supporting nearly 500 evacuees from Palumpa and Daly River/Nauiyu.
DCF CEO Brent Warren said the meeting was an important step in strengthening engagement with the community.
"It was important that we were there alongside our partners from across government to hear directly from the Batchelor community," Mr Warren said.
"Our focus now is making sure the community has clear, regular updates and practical ways to ask questions and provide feedback," Mr Warren said.
"We're responding to the issues raised by strengthening safety, supervision and support across the sites and the broader community."
A number of measures are in place to support safety and community amenity in Batchelor, including 24/7 Welfare Group staff and security at accommodation sites, additional security at local stores, and a dedicated 24/7 police presence with capacity for full response.
"Safety is our priority - with police, security and onsite staff working around the clock to support both the community and evacuees," Mr Warren said.
Department of Corrections Community Services Work Parties are supporting rubbish clean-up onsite and across the community, while supervised sobering-up spaces have been established within accommodation areas.
Community stockmen are working with evacuees to promote safe behaviour around horses and protection of local brumbies.
To support flood-affected children and young people during the school holiday period, a structured program of activities is being delivered across Batchelor, providing safe, supervised and engaging options throughout the day.
Activities include swimming with additional lifeguard support, sport and recreation programs, arts and crafts, science activities, and Easter celebrations across the weekend, including a visit from the Easter Bunny to both accommodation sites.
Partnerships with the Department of Education and Training are also supporting delivery through School Sport NT and the Batchelor Outdoor Education Centre.
"We're making sure children and young people have structured, supervised activities during the school holidays to keep them engaged, active and connected," Mr Warren said.
"Creating safe and positive opportunities for young people is an important part of supporting both the community and evacuee families."
The department will also provide regular updates to the Batchelor community and introduce new feedback channels, including online submissions and local drop-off points, to ensure ongoing 2-way communication.
"This is about listening, acting and keeping the community informed as we continue to support vulnerable people during this emergency," Mr Warren said.
