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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-06-05 Daily Xml
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APY LANDS, NIGHT PATROLS

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:37): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation with respect to the APY lands.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In July 2008, the then minister for Aboriginal affairs, now the Premier (the Hon. Jay Weatherill), accepted a Mullighan inquiry recommendation that there be night patrols by police on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands. I ask the minister:

1. Are night patrols presently being undertaken by SAPOL on the APY lands?

2. If so, how many patrols are undertaken each night and in how many communities?

3. Are the patrols operating on an ongoing basis?

The PRESIDENT: The Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation representing the minister in the other place on some of the questions.

The Hon. S.G. Wade: No, he's the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.

The PRESIDENT: Yes, and I'm in the chair, thank you, the Hon. Mr Wade. The honourable minister. You don't run the place yet.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:38): I thank the honourable member for his most important questions, which fall under the portfolio of responsibilities of minister O'Brien in the other place. However, he does give me the opportunity to advise the council on 10 years of achievements in terms of the portfolio of Aboriginal affairs, and I will take him through some of those.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: We've only got 41 minutes.

The PRESIDENT: You can move an extension of time, the Hon. Mr Dawkins. The honourable minister.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: As I have previously advised the chamber—and I will repeat again—the state government has invested heavily in improving the provision of services delivered to Anangu people on the APY lands in the areas of preschool facilities, family centres, education, vocational education, policing, youth, allied health, home living skills and family wellbeing programs. The state government continues to support community capacity building by funding the employment of up to eight community council support officers across APY lands, located at Amata, Fregon, Pukatja, Mimili, Indulkana, Pipalyatjara, Kalka and Nyapari/Kanpi. They are supported by two DPC-AARD remote service delivery coordinators located at Umuwa and Pipalyatjara.

The state government has also taken positive steps to improve the delivery of essential services by transitioning the management of electricity and water supply to state government agencies, such as DMITRE for electricity and SA Water for water. These initiatives will lead to better long-term asset management of these essential services. This transition was supported with a significant increase in state government funding.

Community safety continues to be a strong focus on the APY lands for this government, and our commitment has led to the construction of three new police stations located at Amata, Pukatja and Mimili. Since 2010 there have been 19 full-time sworn police positions on the APY lands. As at 27 March 2013 all of these positions were filled, I am advised.

Under the Commonwealth-State National Partnership Agreement on Remote Indigenous Housing introduced in 2009, 99 new community houses have been built on the APY lands to date, with a further 17 under construction. Additionally, 111 upgrades have been delivered, with a further 20 underway, is my advice. A state government procurement policy applies to all contracts awarded for the construction of upgraded housing under the NPARIH. This requires that 20 per cent of total on-site hours be undertaken by Aboriginal people. I have given the details about that previously.

Providing employment and training opportunities for Aboriginal people in the resources sector is a high priority of the government given the rapid growth of mining activity in our state. TAFE SA, in partnership with OZ Minerals, has administered pre-employment aptitude testing for 19 Anangu to date which has led to full-time employment opportunities for a number of Anangu at the Prominent Hill mine.

Another exciting initiative in this field is the recent opening of the Trades Training Centre at Umuwa. This facility is now providing good quality, locally-based training in construction skills, in particular the electrical, plumbing and roofing trades. In terms of schooling, recent enrolment data indicates that there were 614 students enrolled in schools in the APY lands. School attendance rates are also gradually improving. In 2012 the rate was 65 per cent, compared to 60.6 per cent in the year 2000.

The commonwealth and state governments are now about to finalise a bilateral agreement which formalises the introduction of income management on the APY lands. Currently over 280 people are participating voluntarily in this program, a program which is designed to assist participants with the management of their household budgets.

Also I can advise that I have seen some media reports about significant state budget investment in the APY lands which will be announced, I expect, tomorrow. These reports are incredibly heartening. Combined with $85 million allocated from the federal government, we will be allocating a $21 million investment in road upgrades to deliver greater food security and economic opportunities for communities. That brings a total spend to $106 million spent on fixing roads in the APY lands, including sections of the main access road between the Stuart Highway and Pukatja. Funding for the main access road to the APY lands will provide many social and economic benefits to these remote communities.

In addition, this budget will provide funding for remediation of landfill sites on the APY lands. This initiative provides $3.6 million over three years for the closure, capping and replacement of landfill sites in the APY lands. Additional funding of over half a million dollars in 2013-14 will be made available to support the administration of the APY Land Rights Act 1981 and the APY Executive Board.

The state budget also includes $3.5 million over two years for ongoing therapeutic services in response to problem sexual behaviour by providing the necessary funds to expand this important work. I could go on, and there will be more to say tomorrow. In fact, I could go on at quite some length, but I think the chamber gets the point. This government is delivering for people in the APY lands. We will be delivering for the APY community. Let us remind ourselves how many sworn police were on the lands when we came to government? How many sworn police were on the lands when the Liberal Party was in government last? Zero.

The Hon. G.E. Gago: Absolute zero. Zilch.

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: The Liberal government, in their time, walked away from APY. The Liberal government, in their time, supplied nothing to that community in terms of policing and community security. This government continues to deliver.

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: There are a couple of supplementary questions and interjections from the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, who got in here late. Do not come in here and disrupt the house when you walk in late. Pay some respect.

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