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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-11 Daily Xml
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Copley Medical Clinic

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart) (14:56): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister update my community at Copley and surrounding locations why Pika Wiya and other organisations and people cannot get access to the Copley Medical Centre? With your leave and that of the house, sir, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: I have had several inquiries to ask for the reasons why there is non-access to the Copley Medical Centre, which has been fenced off for many months and not available for anybody to attend.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:56): I thank the member for Stuart for his interest in this matter and all things related to health in his community, particularly, in this instance, the community of Copley. I am advised that the Copley Medical Clinic is not, as I understand it, a site which we operate in SA Health. As the member may be aware, Pika Wiya Aboriginal Health Service of course is an Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation that provides health services to the Far North areas of South Australia.

Pika Wiya operates the premises in Port Augusta and also has clinics in Davenport, Copley and Nepabunna communities, as well as providing services to other communities. As an Aboriginal community-controlled health organisation, they provide primary health services. They are predominantly funded by the federal government and are therefore not a state government-run health service. I am advised that the building that the Copley Medical Clinic have operated from is owned and operated by Pika Wiya, who provide primary health outreach clinics, including monthly visiting general practitioner consultations.

In May this year, the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network were advised by the chief executive officer of Pika Wiya that a large fence and locked gates had been erected around the Copley Medical Clinic and have removed Pika Wiya's access to the clinic. I understand that there are matters regarding the land ownership that the clinic resides on, and they are being worked through between Pika Wiya and the local Aboriginal council.

It is our expectation, of course, that services are appropriately provided to community members. Whilst this is a matter being worked through by the parties involved, outside of state government control, we want to ensure that health care remains available for people in the local community. Therefore, since June this year, the Flinders and Upper North Local Health Network, through SA Health, have allowed Pika Wiya Aboriginal Health Services to conduct their health clinic sessions from the Leigh Creek Health Service, which is obviously just about five minutes down the road, while this matter is being resolved. The member will be familiar with the Leigh Creek Health Service, of course, because both he and I visited it some months ago for its opening in March this year when we were pleased to open this new $4.5 million modern health facility providing those services to the Leigh Creek community.

Obviously, while this issue is being worked through between Pika Wiya and the local Aboriginal community in Copley, we stand ready to support the continuation of those important health services, making available a brand-new state-of-the-art modern health service in Leigh Creek to be able to have those services continue.

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