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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-04-05 Daily Xml
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FAR NORTH MINISTERIAL VISIT

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:48): Whilst on that, this is about Capril, which is a mental health awareness activity, and I hope all members in some way will support—

The PRESIDENT: Even Little Red Riding Hood has to seek permission to make a statement.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: Moving onto the question. I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a question about his visit to the Far North communities of Andamooka and Coober Pedy.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS: I understand the minister recently visited the communities of Andamooka and Coober Pedy. Will the minister provide further information on this matter.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:49): I thank the honourable member for his question. I must say I am a bit concerned about answering this question, for fear of being attacked by the Hon. Ms Lensink for being too in touch with the outback communities and getting to understand some of the issues which affect them. I will say that one of the most common comments I get from various regions is the fact that they no longer see members of the opposition since the Hon. Caroline Schaefer left. As I stated before, I do try to defend them and say, 'It's pretty hard for them, because most of them live in the eastern suburbs of Adelaide. No longer do they have the strong representation of the country and the regions they had in past decades.'

Getting back to the honourable member's question, I have previously informed members that in my role as Minister for State/Local Government Relations I have been visiting councils and outback local communities throughout the state. These visits give me an opportunity to talk to elected members, council staff and community volunteer groups on what issues are important to them, what challenges and barriers they face and what successes they have experienced.

My most recent visit was to the township of Andamooka and Coober Pedy. While in the region I also went on a tour of the Olympic Dam expansion site run by BHP Billiton. The purpose of my visit to Andamooka was to attend a land-use planning workshop sponsored by the Outback Communities Authority and the Andamooka Progress and Opal Miners Association. In the coming years, the expansion of Olympic Dam will have an impact on Andamooka and there is expected to be significant growth in the township.

This workshop gave the local community and stakeholders the opportunity to have a say on where and what type of development should occur in Andamooka in the future, what areas should be protected from development and what infrastructure would be required to support the expected growth. From my observations on the day and the feedback given following the workshop, the experience has been extremely positive.

Members of this chamber would appreciate the fact that some parts of regional South Australia do it tough. I have great respect for the people who live and work in these communities. Community spirit and pride were evident in every community I visited. They continually have to find ways to do more, often with less. In some cases it involves basic services, such as a reliable water supply, something that we take for granted here in Adelaide. Despite this, most people are optimistic about their future and that of their communities. The Outback Communities Authority works closely alongside the communities to help support their aspirations as well as the appropriate services and infrastructure that can be delivered.

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