Three hospitalised as Central Australian family dispute turns violent

A violent disturbance at the Oak Valley outstation in Central Australia last weekend has left three people hospitalized, amid fears the conflict could escalate. The unrest reportedly stems from a long-standing dispute over housing access among traditional owners of the remote community, located about 90km south of Alice Springs.

Relatives of those injured described the incident as part of a feud between rival families vying for limited housing at the outstation. The community, home to a small number of residents, has been embroiled in this battle over residency for the past eight years. Sisters Erin and Tara Liddy, traditional owners of Oak Valley, were away when they received a distressed call from a family member early Sunday morning.

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My brother, who was down there at the time, he called me at 3:25 or something in the morning and said 'I need help, you need to call the police'.

"My brother, who was down there at the time, he called me at 3:25 or something in the morning and said 'I need help, you need to call the police'," Erin Liddy recounted. The sisters subsequently contacted the police and were later sent videos of the attack posted on social media. They reported that a group of at least 10 people, with children present, perpetrated the assault.

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One of them has a broken jaw. There's a broken eye socket and the 60-year-old lady, she has a significant damage to her eye. Everybody's extremely shaken up, emotional, traumatised.

One family member sustained a broken jaw, another a broken eye socket, and a 60-year-old woman suffered significant eye damage. "Everybody's extremely shaken up, emotional, traumatised," Tara Liddy said, adding that the children present were flown to Darwin and are experiencing trauma. Northern Territory Police confirmed they attended the outstation and arrested three individuals, a 36-year-old man, a 52-year-old man, and a 55-year-old woman, charging them with aggravated assault and engaging in violent conduct. The three appeared in Alice Springs Local Court on Tuesday.

Police stated that investigations are ongoing, and the involved parties are known to each other. Authorities are seeking agency support to provide education and mediation for the involved family groups. The Liddy sisters highlighted that the core issue is a rival family group's attempt to occupy a house despite being denied access by the Aboriginal land trust board managing the properties. "They were served letters … to tell them that they were not allowed on our country, they were not allowed to set foot on our ho," the sisters explained.

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They were served letters … to tell them that they were not allowed on our country, they were not allowed to set foot on our ho