An owner of one of the unsafe Bellamack homes says he was shocked to learn that a senior police officer had dismissed an investigation into the NT Government’s failure to take action on the controversial homes by referring to the public safety issue as “cheap housing for poor people”.

Member for Blain Mark Turner, whose electorate includes Bellamack and who has been calling for action, revealed in Parliament last week that a “senior police officer” had dismissed the matter to a whistleblower seeking an investigation as a “stupid cheap housing scheme”.

“The senior police officer … allegedly told the whistleblower words to the effect that ‘the government has come up with this stupid cheap housing scheme to help the poor people. What do you expect you’re going to get? Cheap housing for poor people. What do you expect?’,” Mr Turner told Parliament.

The comments have also attracted the attention of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.

The NT Independent first revealed in 2021 that an independent engineers’ report had found that 18 homes constructed by Titan Builders as part of a government affordable housing scheme were unsafe and a risk to the community in the event of a thunderstorm or sudden wind burst.

The engineer recommended demolishing them “without undue delay” due to the corroding that had occurred within the structures.

However, while the government razed 10 of the homes in late 2021 after the NT Independent revealed the report, the other eight – constructed under a different affordable housing scheme – are still standing and occupied despite the independent engineers’ report classifying them as unsafe.

Jesse Williams-Hook, who owns one of the remaining eight homes, has been caught in what he described as a “never-ending nightmare” over the home that he bought for more than $400,000.

He said the comments from the senior officer were “disappointing”.

“It’s pretty hard. You expect them to do the right thing,” Mr Williams-Hook said.

“Someone’s gone to them with a problem and they haven’t followed through with it. It’s disappointing. It’s not like it’s public housing – we paid more than $400,000 for the home. Maybe if it was public housing, something would get done.”

Mr Williams-Hook has sought compensation through Consumer Affairs, which has been a long, drawn-out process, he said, and that the ultimate pay-out of $200,000 is not enough to cover a demolition and rebuild.

Other owners have taken their cases to the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal and are also awaiting decisions against the builder George Milatos, who has repeatedly denied responsibility and said he built the homes in accordance with government designs.

Asked about the public safety issues this week by Sky News, Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler confusingly referenced homes built before Cyclone Tracy and refused to say if she could guarantee the Bellamack homes are safe.

“We’ll work through the processes with those homes,” she said.

But Mr Williams-Hook said he is frustrated with how the government has “worked through” the matter.

“It seems they’re handling it in ways that [enable] them to defend themselves with no accountability,” he said.

“It’s not helping us.The rust keeps going and going on the home. It’s stressful all the time.”

Claims Chalker could influence ICAC investigations, Police refuse to comment

While Mr Turner did not name the “senior police officer” who made the comments in Parliament, the NT Independent understands that Detective Senior Sergeant Karl Day, the head of the “special crimes unit”, was investigating the government’s inaction on the unsafe homes.

Snr Sgt Day and the police media unit did not respond to questions, including if Snr Sgt Day was the officer who made the comments and if so, why, and where any possible investigation might currently stand.

Mr Turner said in Parliament last week that a whistleblower had come to him with the allegations after trying to get the police and ICAC to investigate the unsafe homes. Mr Turner said the senior unnamed officer also inferred to the whistleblower that Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker could make ICAC investigations go away.

“They [the whistleblower] say they were told by the senior police officer, when lamenting the lack of action [on Bellamack homes], the risk to the public and the sudden lack of interest from agencies that, ‘If Chalker walks in there with his’ – to be parliamentary I’ll call it appendage – ‘drops it on top of the ICAC’s desk, some things change dramatically’, or words to that effect.”

Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Michael Riches refuted any suggestion that he had been intimidated by Mr Chalker.

“I have never felt pressured or intimidated by the Police Commissioner, or any public officer, ever,” he said in an email response to questions.

“If such an attempt was made, I would report it to Parliament and likely make a public statement about it, because I would consider it a very serious encroachment upon my independence.”

NT Police also refused to comment on why a senior police officer would make that particular comment or what precisely was meant by it.

It is understood the whistleblower had sought an investigation into the government’s handling of the Bellamack homes situation in which the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics did not publicly disclose the structural deficiencies to the homeowners when they first became aware of them in 2014, waiting until April 2021 to make it public.

Homes that were designated as unsafe were also allowed to be sold without the buyers being made aware of the defects.

NT director of building control Mark Meldrum appeared to downplay the severity of the safety issues when he finally acknowledged them by suggesting there “was no immediate safety risk” – a claim that was contradicted by the engineering reports he had received four months earlier that indicated a potential danger to occupants and neighbouring residents in a thunderstorm, not just a cyclone as he had originally claimed.

Mr Meldrum and Ms Lawler have repeatedly refused to answer the NT Independent’s questions about the unsafe homes.