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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-02-19 Daily Xml
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SERVICE SA

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:01): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Government Enterprises a question about Service SA rural agents.

Leave granted.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Service SA strives to provide South Australians with convenient options for accessing a comprehensive range of government services, products and information that are responsive to community needs. Importantly, Service SA takes its obligations to non-metropolitan dwelling South Australians very seriously. Will the minister advise what Service SA is doing in the Clare region?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:01): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and his interest in these important policy areas. Access to state government services, including learner driver theory tests, will soon be enhanced in the Clare area with the introduction of a Service SA rural agent.

A recent agreement with Country North Community Services will see it roll out face-to-face services from its office within the Clare Town Hall from late next month. Country North Community Services is a valued and well-established local not-for-profit organisation which currently provides Carers Link, Disability Link, Respite Link services and also the Centrelink agency for the Mid North.

The friendly faces of Country North Community Services staff led by their well-known Chief Executive Officer, Steve Lowe, will add to Service SA's successful rural agent program currently servicing Keith, Peterborough, Port Broughton, Port MacDonnell, Streaky Bay, Wudinna and Yorketown.

Rural agents provide a consistent community presence, offering access to many state government services where it is not feasible to develop a full customer service centre. This means that Clare and district residents will no longer have to rely on family and friends driving them more than an hour or so to Gawler, Kadina or Port Pirie to sit their learner's test. The whole process can now be completed without having to leave Clare.

The select range of government services that will be provided by Country North Community Services will also include providing information to customers on government services, processing transactions and downloading a range of forms.

This will soon be available between 10.30am and 2.30pm on Monday to Friday with additional time allocated outside school hours for learner theory tests each Wednesday from 4pm to 5pm. Demand for the service has been driven by the local community. The government has listened, consulted and gauged the needs of the area, and we will continue to monitor demand to ensure that community needs are met.

The rural agent program has already proven a cost-effective service delivery solution meeting the needs of rural and remote communities, and I am confident that it will continue to do so in Clare. Service SA is a division of the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure and is the single entry point to a wide range of government services through phone, face-to-face and online delivery channels.

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