APY Lands

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation questions in relation to the APY lands.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: First of all, I congratulate the minister on his appointment. In 2004, parliament passed amendments to the then Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act 1981 which divided the APY lands into 10 electorates for the purpose of electing representatives to the APY Executive Board. The following year (in 2005), further amendments were passed, which provided that the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation 'must cause the electorates…to be reviewed not later than 3 months prior to each [APY] election' and that the review must include consultation with both Anangu and the APY Executive Board.

The last APY election was held in February 2012, with the review of the electorates being completed the previous September, that is, five months prior to the election. That last review was conducted by the Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation division and included community-based consultation in nine locations. Under section 9(8) of the APY Land Rights Act, the minister is required to cause the next review of the electorates to be completed by 1 March 2015, that is, less than three weeks from today. My questions to the minister are:

1. When did the current review of the APY electorates commence and when will it be completed?

2. Who is conducting the review?

3. Have the views of the South Australian Electoral Commissioner been sought as part of the current review?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:33): I thank the honourable member for his questions and for his interest in these matters. The APY Land Rights Act requires an election of the executive board, as is stated, to occur within three months after the third anniversary of the previous election. As many members would probably be aware, between late 2013 and early 2014, a review of the APY act was undertaken, focusing particularly on options for more contemporary government and accountability.

This review, in particular, covered the election system, including the electorates and the composition and capacity of the executive board. The review panel, chaired by the Hon. Dr Robyn Layton, consulted broadly with Anangu communities across the APY lands and with the executive board. I will check to see whether this review covered the legislative provisions the honourable member is talking about and bring back a reply.