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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-04-09 Daily Xml
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KANGAROO ISLAND FIRES

Mr KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (15:04): Will the Minister for State/Local Government Relations advise how the government is working to support the Kangaroo Island Council and the local community, in particular, following the devastating bushfires in December?

Mr Pengilly: It's on the website.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Volunteers, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister Assisting in Early Childhood Development) (15:04): Well, get up and answer. Last year, the state government and the Kangaroo Island Council jointly commissioned a study into the—

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Sir, I rise on a point of order. You previously ruled in this question time that questions on information that is readily available are out of order. The answer to this question is on the website. I ask you to rule accordingly.

The SPEAKER: Order! Perhaps the minister has something else to add that is otherwise not available.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Thank you, sir. I will be expanding on a number of issues. I would have thought the member who represents that area would be keen to hear about this seeing that he came into this chamber saying that the Kangaroo Island Council was falling apart.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for State/Local Government Relations has the call.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The member for Finniss came into this chamber saying that the Kangaroo Island council was falling apart. I would have thought he would have been keen to hear what the state government was doing to support a council in his electorate.

The Hon. P. Caica: It happened under him.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: And it did happen under him. We know his track record as mayor: it was not all that great.

Ms CHAPMAN: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. This is clearly a breach of standing order 127(2). It is imputing improper motives.

The SPEAKER: I do not think reflecting on the performance of the member for Finniss as mayor is imputing improper motives. However, it is debate.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Thank you, sir. Last year, the state government and the Kangaroo Island council did jointly commission a study into the challenges facing Kangaroo Island, its council and how best we can support them in taking their community into the future. The study is significant to South Australia, as well as to Kangaroo Island, because of the unique nature of Kangaroo Island as a tourist destination. I understand it attracts approximately 164,000 visitors annually.

More importantly, Kangaroo Island boasts a vital community, and the study identified some real opportunities to unlock the further potential of the island through all the relative agencies working collaboratively. There were 11 recommendations in all in this report. Some of them included: council strengthening its financial governance; looking at further opportunity for resource sharing (which is something we are encouraging all councils to do) and collaborative opportunities it has with other councils with similar regional status; council seeking the support of its regional LGA in relation to applying for funding assistance through the special local roads program; and council, possibly in conjunction with the Kangaroo Island Development Board and other organisations, research and, if appropriate, pursue and reform the commonwealth parliament's income tax act to its residents to receive the remote locality income tax concessions.

This report has been formally tabled by the council and it will be reporting on a six monthly basis. The studies produced a number of challenges for the council, but it has accepted then in a positive manner and it is moving forward. It has already adopted a number of the recommendations. There is no doubt that Kangaroo Island is a resilient community. As members are aware, last year there was a terrible fire on Kangaroo Island. Vast areas of national park were burnt to the ground and significant road infrastructure was damaged in a number of areas.

Shortly after the fires abated, I visited Kangaroo Island to see for myself the volunteer effort on the island. I take this opportunity again to thank the volunteers, islanders and those who travelled from all over the state and who gave so willingly their time and expertise in this time of terrible tragedy on Kangaroo Island. During my visit, I could appreciate that there was an acute need to reinstate the roads in some places and, in others, ensure that supporting infrastructure such as signage, hazard markers and guideposts were returned to the condition they were in prior to the fires. In addition, happening as this did at the onset of the peak tourist season and with tourism playing such a key role in the island's economy, it was also hugely important for the holiday-makers to continue to enjoy the natural beauty the island has to offer and to maintain the value those same holiday-makers bring to Kangaroo Island's economy.

That is why I moved very quickly to ensure that an interim grant payment of $250,000 was made from the Local Government Disaster Fund to assist the council in getting the road infrastructure up and running again as quickly as possible. The mayor has advised that the council was overwhelmed with the assistance provided by the state government in response to the bushfires, as opposed to the lack of appreciation of the member for Finniss. Kangaroo Island is a unique and precious area in our state, so it is important that, with the community, all levels of government continue to work cooperatively to ensure its future prominence as a key tourist destination, all the while ensuring that the pristine natural beauty is sustained.

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