Two Indigenous communities thousands of kilometres apart, living in squalor in the shadow of some of the country's richest mines, face an uncertain future.

Parnpajinya is situated on the edge of the highway outside Newman in the Pilbara, in the foothills of the one of the country's largest and oldest iron ore mines — Mt Whaleback.

Key points: Mines in two WA communities made millions, but the local people were left with virtually nothing

Mines in two WA communities made millions, but the local people were left with virtually nothing The State Government is moving to demolish squalid housing in these areas

The State Government is moving to demolish squalid housing in these areas In some cases, tenants have been charged market rates for rent despite their housing being beyond repair

The small Indigenous community has fallen into disrepair after years of neglect.

Similarly, Ninga Mia is on the outskirts of Kalgoorlie, where the Super Pit is the largest open-cut gold mine in Australia.

A recent report published by KPMG found people in this community were living in houses unfit for habitation.

These mines produce millions of dollars in gold and iron ore each year, contributing to the prosperity of Australia with jobs and investment.

But those living in these Aboriginal communities see none of that wealth, and instead live in wretched conditions without basic amenities such as a landline telephone and internet, and with constant plumbing issues.

A substandard kitchen at Parnpajinya. ( Susan Standen: ABC North West WA )

Communities on outskirts 'no longer acceptable': Minister

In a move to bring Aboriginal people into adequate housing and services, the WA Government has begun a process of demolishing houses in these communities and relocating people to nearby towns.

The state's Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Ben Wyatt said Aboriginal people deserved better and the reserves were no longer appropriate.

"I'm determined to ensure that Aboriginal people who have now for decades lived on the edge of major towns, which produce a lot of wealth and have lived in substandard conditions, move to better housing in town," Mr Wyatt said.

"I don't think it's acceptable any more having reserves on the edge of town basically with no governance structure, therefore no services or very poor services, right next door to major towns with more-than-adequate services."

Much has changed since Parnpajinya received a special commendation in the 2010 Tidy Towns awards. ( ABC North West WA: Susan Standen )

Parnpajinya, a once thriving dry community, has become a place where maintenance service workers will not visit alone as it is deemed unsafe.

Meta Maya, an Aboriginal corporation which takes maintenance calls from residents across the state, only has a contract until June 2020.

Rubbish is piled up around the houses, because the East Pilbara Shire no longer runs a collection from the community.

Rubbish is no longer collected from Parnpajinya by the East Pilbara Shire Council. ( ABC North West WA: Susan Standen )

Parnpajinya chairman Clive Sampson is concerned that moving people into town will reignite cycles of alcohol-fueled violence and eviction, leaving people stranded.

"If they move them into town, it's going to be really worse," Mr Sampson said.

"We got enough in town, you know, just break-ins, a lot of BHP houses.

"They demolished the four houses down there without letting us know.

"From there we just got a shock seeing everything boarded up."

Ninga Mia local woman Elizabeth outside her home with her pet dog. ( ABC Goldfields: Tom Joyner )

After two years of consultation and negotiations, the Pilbara Development Commission (PDC) has taken over responsibility for moving residents to town, slowly and carefully.

In a statement, the PDC said during community and stakeholder consultation it was identified that some more vulnerable Parnpajinya residents would need specialised support if they were moved into social housing.

Mr Sampson said the Aboriginal Lands Trust land that was under Nyiyaparli land native title was handed to Martu people in a ceremony many years ago for their use when visiting from the western desert.

"Used to be a lore ground there, long time ago," he said.

"Old people went to show them you see … went and handover things to the Martu people, from Nyaparli.

"All the Martu people know where the cultural stuff around this area is."

Ronald Brookes and his partner are still living in Parnpajinya while waiting for new housing to be allocated. ( ABC North West WA: Susan Standen )

Mr Sampson said the community was run by a caretaker in the past when it was a dry community and he would like to see it get back on its feet.

"Just to get it going again, we want to get it to a dry community, yeah," he said.

People often sleep outside when camping at Parnpajinya. ( ABC North West WA: Susan Standen )

Mr Waytt said it would take time, over consecutive governments, but he was not proposing to take the land away from Aboriginal people.

While previous governments attempted to close all remote communities, the current WA Government promised the people that the Aboriginal Lands Trust lands would be divested from government control and handed back to Aboriginal people for camping and cultural purposes.

"I'm very keen to ensure that Aboriginal people are no longer living in, let's be honest, what are basically described as shanty towns," Mr Wyatt said.

Housing in Ninga Mia broken, unsuitable for habitation

Tenants in the once-thriving reserve of Ninga Mia near Kalgoorlie have been forced to spend thousands of dollars out of pocket on repairs to their properties.

Faulty power sockets, mouldy ceilings, broken solar systems, and missing door locks are among a litany of structural issues in houses the State Government leases to Aboriginal tenants.

In Ninga Mia, on the doorstep of Australia's largest open cut gold mine, a WA Government-commissioned audit in 2018 found no major refurbishments had been made to properties since the 1980s.

Parnpajinya chairman Clive Sampson fears alcohol-fuelled violence will move into town. ( ABC North West WA: Susan Standen )

The audit also found the Government had been charging rent at market rates to Aboriginal tenants for housing that was mostly of "poor construction quality" and was "beyond economic repair".

"The majority of the units [in Ninga Mia] were considered to be in very poor condition," the audit found, in part due to tenant damage.

It prompted the state's Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) to order the demolition of six uninhabited homes, citing an unsafe living environment.

"The Department has been consulting regularly with reserve residents and other local stakeholders since September 2018," a DPLH spokesperson said in a statement.

The dilapidated health clinic in Ninga Mia, WA. ( ABC Goldfields: Tom Joyner )

But residents tell a slightly different story. They say the abysmal state of housing is a long-running issue and the Government should have acted much earlier.

Some say requests for maintenance and upkeep have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears over months and years.

At the home of Sheldon Ashwin, which he rents with his partner and shares with other family members, there is a long list of needed repairs.

There is no working ventilation in the house, and only one light works at any one time. Trying to turn on two at once sees them all lose power.

In the bathroom, the ceiling is covered in mould and exposed electrical wiring dangles from one wall. The water system leaks continually.

A hole in the wall next to the front door where someone once tried to break in at night has yet to be repaired. A solar power system on Mr Ashwin's roof remains inoperable.

"I don't feel safe at night," Mr Ashwin said. He recently replaced the locks on his doors at his own expense.

Parnpajinya resident Ronald Brookes crosses the busy main highway into Newman to access medical services ( Susan Standen: ABC North West WA )

He says he is confused by the approximately $400 in energy credit he buys from the DPLH office in Kalgoorlie each fortnight and wonders: where does the money go?

According to DPLH, it has gone towards the maintenance of properties.

Making matters confusing, it is unclear who holds direct responsibility for the houses' maintenance and general upkeep.

Like Parnpajinya, the land underneath Ninga Mia is held by an Aboriginal Land Trust, with Community Housing Ltd and the Department of Communities responsible for tenancy management.

"This house here, it only needed renovation," said Geoffrey Stokes, a pastor at the Ninga Mia church, pointing to a recently demolished home.

"They came here the other day, took all the corrugated iron off.

"All these people, they pay rent on the thought that the people collecting rent will pay for damages in the house."

Ninga Mia pastor and long-time resident Geoffrey Stokes in a field near his church. ( ABC Goldfields: Tom Joyner )

Mr Wyatt, cousin to the Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, said he lived in Kalgoorlie as a youngster and Ninga Mia had problems then.

"There has been money spent since the 1980s but the reality is that Ninga Mia has had a failure of governance," Mr Wyatt said.

The Aboriginal company running it has been de-registered and ad hoc policies have been used in response to providing adequate housing over the years.

"People living in Ninga Mia should be given the opportunity to move into appropriate housing in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and the land should be returned to traditional owners," Mr Wyatt said.

Current housing in Ninga Mia will continue to be maintained in the short term but will be demolished if they are found to be unfit for human habitation.

When the Aboriginal corporation that previously managed Ninga Mia was wound up, the lease expired and has not been renewed.

While some residents said they were not told of the lease expiring, Mr Wyatt said he had a range of conversations with people informing them of the matter.