Dear Coober Pedy Community

I would like to thank you all for the welcome I received during my recent visit to Coober Pedy. I very much appreciated the opportunity to meet with you in my new role as Minister for Local Government and learn more about your passion and vision for the future of Coober Pedy and how we can work together to achieve it.

As I explained at the public forum on 31 July 2024, the Malinauskas Government is committed to finding a sustainable long-term solution to provide both local government and essential services (water and electricity) in your town.

It is clear to me that the challenges facing Coober Pedy and your Council should not be underestimated. The Council has been in administration for an extended period, and that unfortunately reflects long-term problems that have been created over many years by poor local administration and decision-making.

It was also clear to me during my visit that there are differing views across your community about the solutions to these problems. The decisions that need to be made, and are being made, to place your Council on a more stable footing are challenging. But they are essential if your Council is to ‘live within its means’ as others in South Australia do, and
provide security and peace of mind for the community.

That is why the South Australian Government has committed $250,000 to a service and asset review that will be undertaken by the Coober Pedy Taskforce so that there is a full understanding of how the Council’s services and assets must be funded into the future.

Work is well underway to begin the service review, which will identify all local government services and functions currently provided by the Council, including assets and staff resources used in the provision of these services and functions, and provide detailed costings of each service or function.

The service review will also:

• compare both expenditure and service standards across all Council functions with other small regional South Australian councils;
• identify any opportunities for the alternative delivery of Council services and functions; and
• identify all options for the provision of services within the Council’s revenue, which may include reductions in the range and/or level of local government services and functions currently provided, and/or revenue (rate) increases to ensure the Council’s sustainability over a future 10-year period.

This review will inform decisions about the future delivery of municipal services in Coober Pedy. This will be challenging work and it requires the Council to engage closely with the community to determine what services can be provided that are supported by Coober Pedy ratepayers within the community’s willingness and capacity to pay for these services through Council rates.

The State Government’s commitment of funding may also include the development of a thorough and high-quality asset management plan, including current asset valuations. Understanding the condition and management needs of the Council’s assets is critical to the Council’s future sustainability.

Any member of the South Australian community who has concerns about misconduct, maladministration or corruption in a public agency should raise them with the Office of Public Integrity (OPI). The OPI is the appropriate agency to investigate such issues and is empowered to make referrals to other public authorities which can issue formal findings and recommendations. More information about the OPI is available on its website at http://www.opi.sa.gov.au or by telephone 1300 782 489.

I thank you for your commitment to your community and interest in its future. I strongly encourage you to participate constructively in the service review and support the Council and the Administrators as they work to ensure a stronger and more sustainable future for Coober Pedy.

Yours sincerely

Hon Joe Szakacs MP
Minister for Trade and Investment
Minister for Local Government
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs