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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-10-24 Daily Xml
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Coober Pedy District Council

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:08): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: On 2 October 2018, I received a submission from the District Council of Coober Pedy, referred to now as 'the council'. As members are aware, the council's submission related to a final report from the Ombudsman that identified a range of errors and failures on the part of the council as it undertook a critical procurement process. This report raised serious issues around the operation of the council.

The submission was provided in response to a letter that I sent to the council indicating my view that the Ombudsman's final report identified serious irregularities in the conduct of the affairs of the council and that I was therefore considering taking action under section 273 of the Local Government Act 1999 to recommend to the Governor that the council be declared defaulting.

The council's submission raises a number of matters that I am giving careful consideration to before making a decision on any possible action. I am aware that the election process is underway in Coober Pedy, as for all councils across South Australia, and that the Coober Pedy community, candidates for office and voters, need clarity about the current election process and whether it will proceed.

Given that the election process has started, I do not intend to take action before it is complete. Following the election, I will provide the council with an opportunity to make a further submission to me as soon as possible before I decide on the most appropriate course of action to take. I acknowledge that this process may seem to be long. However, any decision to recommend that a council be declared defaulting, and that an administrator be appointed, is a very serious one. It is therefore critical that my decision-making process is fair and ensures that all relevant information and views are properly considered.

The Hon. A. Piccolo interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Light is warned.

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