APY Lands, Country Cabinet

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:44): Last week, I touched upon the cabinet visit to the APY lands and said that a number of issues stood out on that visit and a number of lasting memories. One of the tangible things that was done during the visit was the announcement of the delivery of seven new customised ambulances for the APY lands. As people can imagine, given the state of the roads in the APY lands, vehicles do take a hammering. The seven new ambulances will, for a time, certainly fill a very important gap.

One of the real standout memories was to be taken to Cave Hill just outside Amata. I feel very honoured and privileged in relation to this memory, and it is something that I have not shared on Facebook. I am not sure whether many people in this chamber have actually been to this site. While we were being led there, we were told that there was some rock art at Cave Hill. When I got there, I saw what was on offer. It was literally mind-blowing to think that that cave had been used for rock art and other purposes for, they estimate, over 2,000 years.

The artwork is stunning, and I saw how proud the people in the area are of this amazing attribute. It is a credit to all involved—the custodians of that area and the National Museum—that the cave will be replicated at the National Museum with that artwork there. That will happen later this year. If anybody gets the opportunity to visit, it will be easier to visit the National Museum than to visit the site outside Amata. It will be well worth your while to see what is on offer and what an amazing part of our heritage in South Australia it is. It forms part of that very extensive Seven Sisters dreaming trail through the Northern Territory into South Australia and elsewhere.

I am one of those people—and I am certainly not alone in South Australia—who had never visited the APY lands before I was elected. It is a different world and it is a world with its own challenges. There have clearly been tangible improvements over the years. Once upon a time, the police were based at Marla and not physically present on the lands, apart from when they were visiting and staying overnight, so it is now great to see a number of police stations on the lands.

The Trade Training Centre at Umuwa is a fantastic facility and one that the APY lands should be proud of. I have to say that it was the initiative of a previous federal Labor government. I think it was one of those sad things that, with the Abbott government, that trade training centre funding was cut. I have been to a number of these trade training centres now, a number of schools, plus the one at Umuwa, and they are fantastic facilities. The quality, and the ability to provide trade training at schools, has improved as a result. One of the other perennial issues on the APY lands is the quality of food and its availability and price. That has also undergone a marked improvement as a result of a collaborative effort.

A number of other things are happening, which are worth reflecting upon, including the major work that is now going on to improve some of the road network in the lands. That is something that is greatly overdue and warmly welcomed. It is especially warmly welcomed because there does seem to be a genuine effort to employ Anangu on that particular project. It is something we should be ever vigilant about to ensure that commitments are met when it comes to the employment of Anangu on the lands. There are some improvements going on, but there is clearly a lot more to be done.