APY Lands

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): Can the Premier update the house on the consultation which was conducted by the Commissioner for Indigenous Engagement in South Australia, Khatija Thomas, following the Premier's public statements supporting the Forrest report recommendations?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:27): I can, and the responses were mixed. Some communities were supportive of elements of the Forrest review and others were opposed to elements of the Forrest review. I do know that in relation to the APY lands, the subject of this series of questions, there was strong support, especially from the women in those communities for the existing arrangements in relation to income management that have been placed in the APY lands. It has made a material difference, they believe, to the health and wellbeing of their communities, but the truth is that there are mixed views about some of the measures that are contained in the Forrest review.

I certainly have reservations about a number of them but together as a package they try to offer a vision for the future for these communities, and I think that we are duty bound to grapple with even the most radical solutions to try to find a persuasive hope for the future for these communities.