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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-04-05 Daily Xml
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RURAL ACCOMMODATION

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:00): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Regional Development a question about shortage of professionals and lack of accommodation in South Australian rural communities.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: The Local Government Association President, Ms Felicity-ann Lewis, stated on ABC radio on 17 March that 'attracting professionals such as teachers, nurses and doctors out into the regions has been an issue for quite some time'. She adds:

With the further challenge of providing housing and potentially having to get smaller housing rental rates are going to be obviously quite high because the market is small, is a great concern to us.

In addition, the Vice President of the Rural Doctors Association, Dr Peter Rischbieth, commented on ABC radio on 24 March that 'South Australia potentially may lose 50 per cent of its rural procedural doctors and this may happen in the next five to 10 years'. On 18 March, on the radio, Ms Wendy Campagna, CEO of the Local Government Association, stated:

...there was quite a bit of concern raised about housing to teachers, nurses, doctors and also police. What we're not clear about yet is the number of houses that will not be made available in the future and the impact that will have on certain council areas;...It is a major issue, we do need to make sure we have these professional people out in the country areas and we're really concerned about the decision that the government has made in this respect.

My questions to the minster are:

1. As the Minister for Regional Development, has she instigated discussions with the Minister for Housing to ensure there is sufficient and affordable accommodation for professionals to practise in regional committees?

2. In the interest of country people having access to adequate health care and education services, what programs will the minister advocate to attract professionals such as teachers, nurses and doctors out into the regions?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. The matter of housing is a responsibility for the Minister for Housing. I will refer her question to the minister, and I am happy to bring back a response.

There are just a few things I would like to say in relation to housing in regions. Indeed, it is a significant challenge for some of our regions. We know that attracting a skilled workforce is a particular challenge right across the state, as we have an ageing population and we know that there is a forecast of skill shortages in a number of areas that are rapidly expanding. So, it is a challenge for the whole state and, in particular, the regions find it even more difficult to tackle those particular issues.

There are opportunities for regional local councils and, for that matter, RDAs. RDAs have access to certain funding grants and initiatives that include housing opportunities, because the—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: You're taking the state government funding away from them.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: The funding is not being taken away from the grants of the RDAs. That's just nonsense. As usual, the opposition misleads, and they provide incorrect information to this chamber. I am talking about the grants available to RDAs, and there has been no cut to those funding arrangements, so it is simply not true. There are grants that are available that, particularly, RDAs could apply for to look at developing housing initiatives, and other accommodation initiatives, to meet the long-term sustainability needs for their local regions.

I certainly encourage them to look through initiatives and to try to work with suitable partners to develop strategies. Often the solutions to these problems are to be found locally. They are about developing local opportunities that might be there and addressing local needs, and the best people to identify those are in fact locals. It is my job to make sure these communities are given the sort of access to information and expertise to enable them to develop up those programs.

For instance, we see in Mount Gambier a fabulous example of an initiative where an old nurses' home that had been abandoned or disused for some time is being developed into very lovely accommodation. It is a matter, obviously, for the Minister for Housing, and I will pass on the question to her and am happy to bring back a response, but there are other opportunities at a local level. I encourage local communities, who know and understand their own local situations better than anyone else and are more available to identify local opportunities, to work through those opportunities and explore possible outcomes to meet their housing needs.

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