Question Time

OUTBACK COMMUNITIES

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister responsible for urban development and planning and also for mineral resources development a question about the mining boom and its impact on outback communities.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Last week I had the very great pleasure of travelling north to the township of Andamooka. I always enjoy getting out of the city and getting back to—

The Hon. B.V. Finnigan interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I beg your pardon?

The Hon. B.V. Finnigan interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Chuck him out!

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Don't listen to him. Get on with your question, mate.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Thank you for your good advice. I was in Andamooka at the request of the Andamooka Progress and Opal Miners Association. For the benefit of members, I first went to Andamooka as a member of parliament in my first term. It was then a township of roughly 200 people and a very unique and interesting part of South Australia's heritage—well preserved as an opal mining town. It now has a population in excess of 900 and is without any real planning controls at all. We know there are significant developments at the Roxby Downs mine and, in fact, the construction camp that will be built north-east of Roxby Downs will be within 12 kilometres of Andamooka.

The minister changed the Andamooka development plan so that the minimum allotment size must now be 1,200 square metres, but that does not account for the 200 allotments of about 600 square metres that have not been built upon. It is interesting to note that development goes on in that community without any real structured plan for the town.

I noted there was a new school, because the old one had been burnt down. It is a lovely new school, with some great teachers and wonderful kids; and, in fact, the childcare centre is being used by people from Roxby Downs. However, with no planning control, approval has been granted for a 300 person, single men's quarters at the back fence of the primary school. Just down the road from the new school is the hotel, which I am told is applying to have 40 poker machines installed.

I have advice from the locals that there is now an element of bikies in the town and, unfortunately, there are now suggestions that there is some prostitution activity happening in the town; in fact, some of the locals suggested that development approval had been granted for a building they expect will be used for that particular activity (although, of course, the owner would not be claiming that proposed use).

Of course, there is no common effluent drainage; water is supplied. After the many attempts of my colleague the Hon. Terry Stephens to get the minister and the government to address it, we finally have some water, but it is only delivered to a standpipe.

With respect to police, I inform the Leader of the Government (the former minister for police) that there is one officer there working on a four-day on, four-day off basis. So, out of every eight days, for four days there is no police officer on duty. The list goes on, if you like, of problems that are likely to arise as a result of the mining boom, and I suspect that the town population could well grow to in excess of 2,000. Given the obvious benefits of the mining boom that we hear the minister and the Premier often talking about and spruiking, why has the government turned its back on Andamooka?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:35): Indeed, the government has far from turned its back on Andamooka, and it is nice to know that the Leader of the Opposition has finally discovered it, because the issues that he raised in his question refer to matters some of which were one or two years ago.

The leader said that there are no planning controls. That is exactly the reason why this government, almost 12 months ago, introduced some controls over subdivision within the town. A development plan for the out-of- council districts, which included Andamooka, was introduced then, with a minimum size, to ensure that the sorts of developments the honourable member was talking about would not be permitted in the future. There certainly was a time several years ago when the local progress association was assessing a handful of applications every year. It went up to about 30 or so in one quarter and, as a result, I and my colleague the Minister for State/Local Government Relations responded to that.

What the honourable member failed to point out is that, under the term of this government, in fact, water has been provided to the outskirts of the town. What the honourable member also needs to reflect on is that Andamooka is one of those towns where its character has been its principal drawcard for many individuals there.

While there are some within that community who wish for a greater level of intervention, there is also a strong view amongst some other residents of the town (if the honourable member had stayed long enough he would probably have met some of them) that they do not want to see their town turned into just another town within this state. They like the fact that there are more limited controls within their town. Of course, that also includes the fact that they do not pay any council rates. I think it should be pointed out that—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: That town was set up for opal mining. It has been there for many years—in fact, did the honourable member have a look at those huts along the main street, which have been there since the 1920s or 1930s, or whatever? That town well predates Roxby Downs, and it is only because of the development of Roxby Downs that it has been able to get sealed roads and, indeed, the water. The water that is provided to the town comes from the desalination plant at Roxby Downs. So, in fact, those are the benefits that have been derived.

It also should be pointed out that, in August 2006, the state government provided an additional $150,000 in funding to the Outback Areas Community Development Trust to appoint a municipal development officer in 2008 to support the community and provide a central contact point for state agencies.

I am sure that, if the honourable member talks to my colleague the Minister for State/Local Government Relations, she will be able to inform him how she and her predecessor have been working hard in relation to providing greater resources to the community. As I pointed out before, it should be remembered that members of that community do not pay any rates, and there is some significant opposition to it.

What the honourable member also failed to mention is that a subsidy is paid in relation to the generation of electricity in towns such as Coober Pedy and Andamooka. Indeed, that subsidy has been growing, particularly while the fuel was going—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Yes—and, indeed, this has the Outback areas trust, which has been given support by this government. It was not given by the previous Liberal government. Andamooka did not suddenly invent itself in 2008: it has been there for 60 or 70 years. However, under this government it has been discovered and has received—and it will continue to do so—facilities that were not given to it by the previous government.

However, I am one of those people who believes that the people of that community should be able to have a view about the future of their town. As I said, it is by no means unanimous that the town would necessarily want to have its own local government. Some people in the town would like greater controls and there are those who would bitterly resist it, but they are matters for my colleague the Minister for State/Local Government Relations I am sure she would be pleased to provide more information to the honourable member.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Well, she has not been sitting on her hands because, under this government, money has been provided to assist the council. The feedback I have received suggests that the planning controls imposed by this government have slowed down to a significant extent the ad hoc development that was taking place within Andamooka. Further, it is clear that, as a result of the pressure this government has put on BHP Billiton in relation to indenture negotiations, BHP is well aware of its responsibilities.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Well, let that go on the record, Mr President, because it really reflects on the total unsuitability of the Leader of the Opposition. He says that it has nothing to do with BHP. Why does a population go from 400 to 900—or whatever it is—in a short time? Does it have nothing to do with Olympic Dam or BHP? Clearly, BHP's policies will impact significantly on what happens in Andamooka. If there is insufficient housing within Roxby Downs, people will seek to move.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Well, I was explaining to the honourable member that, as a result of the pressure this government has put on BHP, we are getting BHP to accept more of its responsibilities in relation to releasing land in the township of Roxby Downs and reducing the cost of accommodation so there will be less pressure on Andamooka. That is probably as significant as anything else in terms of its impact. Andamooka has been under pressure. The reason it is under pressure is that it has provided a cheap alternative to Roxby Downs. The reason it has provided a cheap alternative is that that is the way people like it. Clearly, the pressures of development are causing problems in the town and this government has addressed those problems—and will continue to address them in significant ways.