OUTBACK COMMUNITIES AUTHORITY

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (14:45): Do you want to break the law too, do you? I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the—

The Hon. A. Bressington interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Why don't you just leave the chamber?

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a question about the Outback Communities Authority.

Leave granted.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Members will recall that the Outback Communities Authority was established on 1 July 2010. It came about as a result of some reforms led by my colleague the Leader of the Government when she was the minister. As of last Friday, the authority has now been in operation for a year. Will the minister please update the chamber as to how the Outback Communities Authority is improving services to people in remote areas?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:46): I thank the honourable member for his important question. The honourable member is correct in that the Outback Communities Authority was established on 1 July 2010, pursuant to the Outback Communities (Administration and Management) Act 2009.

The functions of the authority are to manage the provision of, and promote improvements in, public services and facilities for outback communities and help articulate the views, interests and aspirations of these communities. The authority formally recognises and assists 31 communities in 28 locations across the outback, which do not fall within local government areas.

Where it supports outback communities, the authority has community affairs resourcing and management agreements with the local progress associations. These agreements can be either financial or non-monetary support to communities. This support can relate to funding to cover the administrative cost of running a progress association, town maintenance, such as public conveniences and street lighting, airstrip maintenance, town waste management and the provision of local water supply.

I am pleased to inform the council that highlights of the last year include the development and adoption of a community engagement policy that outlines the process and procedures to be followed by the authority to involve the outback community in planning and decision-making. Other highlights include the development and adoption of the 2011 to 2015 Strategic Management Plan, incorporating the 2011-12 annual business plan and budget.

I am also pleased to advise that in September 2010, the authority was successful in attracting and receiving more than $2 million in federal and state government funding to improve the safety of four outback airstrips jointly managed by the authority. The funding was for the Oodnadatta, Balcanoona, Glendambo and Mintabie airstrips.

I am advised that the upgrading of the Oodnadatta airstrip is about to commence, with an agreement nearing finalisation between the authority and the Oodnadatta Progress Association to transfer ownership of the airstrip to the authority.

Outback communities can look forward to many more years of having a far greater say in what happens in the outback. The Outback Communities Authority further empowers communities to initiate and drive proposals to seek improved services. I congratulate the Outback Communities Authority on its first successful year and look forward to working with it in the future to deliver improved services to our outback communities.