The Hon. Geoff Brock, Minister for Local Government (SA), Media Release, 16 August 2022

The State Government has made a decision to extend the governance by an Administrator of the District Council of Coober Pedy for a further maximum time of four years.

Currently, under the Local Government Act 1999, the Council must return to an elected member body at the upcoming Council elections.

However, a Bill to extend the administration that is in place at the District Council of Coober Pedy will be introduced to Parliament in the first sitting week in September.

Minister for Local Government Geoff Brock said, the decision to continue the current administrative arrangement is not a decision that has been made lightly and that it would not be responsible to require locally elected members to manage the Council due to the significant issues that remain to be resolved.

Minister Geoff Brock MP will be visiting Coober Pedy on Tuesday, 23 August for a community forum to discuss ways forward for the challenges faced by the community.

Quotes attributable to Geoff Brock MP

Removing an elected member body and replacing it with an appointed administrator is a serious decision.

The need to do so in Coober Pedy, and to continue the arrangement, reflects the very significant issues that were identified by the Ombudsman and the Auditor-General in 2018.

It is disappointing that the previous State Government dropped the ball on this issue and made little progress on helping to resolve some of the significant challenges faced by the township.

I understand that many members of the Coober Pedy community may feel frustrated that these issues have not yet been resolved.

As the new Minister for Local Government, it is my intention to work with the Council administration and the community to find workable, long-term solutions for essential services and local government in Coober Pedy.