Legislative Council Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1) 53 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time APY Lands, Watarru Community APY Lands, Watarru Community The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS Legislative Council APY Lands, Watarru Community The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:18): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation questions about the Watarru community on the APY lands. Leave granted. The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS Legislative Council The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: Late last year it was reported in The Australian that the Watarru community was abandoned. It is my understanding that the government infrastructure and services, including the school, have been maintained and sustained in the Watarru community despite there being no residents present. My questions are: 1.	What is the monthly cost of government maintaining services at Watarru? 2.	Given the amount of funding going into Watarru for a very low and fluctuating population in the community, what is the minister's long-term plan for the community? 3.	Is the school still functional, how many students attend on a regular basis and how many teachers are employed there? 4.	Is the community store in operation? 5.	What is the governance structure (i.e. is there a community council operating)? 6.	What is the status of the community food garden? Is it still functional and who is actually attending to it? The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:19): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. In relation to the Hon. Mr Ridgway's questions about supporting our industries, I have to say that the Liberal Party in this country is not supporting Aboriginal homelands in any way. We learnt in the budget that they are ripping half a billion dollars out of the Aboriginal portfolio, including funding to the municipal system. I am incredulous at how on earth this Liberal government and this Liberal Prime Minister could say that they want to improve the lot of Aboriginal communities and at the same time rip out half a billion dollars from Aboriginal programs and close down the MUNS service, which supplies remote homelands and communities with the services they need to continue to function. What is happening is that this federal Liberal government is actually turning out the lights on communities right across the country.