The lack of a TAFE, children with special needs, the health bureaucracy, E-tag regulations, arts, rare earth mining, radiation therapy and plastics were among 16 questions asked at last week’s Country Cabinet forum in Naracoorte.

During a two-day whirlwind visit SA Premier Peter Malinauskas, his ministers and all department chiefs collectively met with hundreds of people as they travelled to various special spots within our region.

Their visit culminated in a public barbecue and Q&A forum last Thursday evening where almost 300 people crowded into the Naracoorte High School hall.

“The numbers are overwhelming. The interest is amazing and not surprising,” said Member for MacKillop Nick McBride, who thanked them for coming.

“They’ve come from Adelaide. It’s not that comfortable for them to leave their city housing and come to our regional world,” Mr McBride said.

“But let me tell you, we need them. We need them and we want them to be advocating for us. So much appreciated you are all here tonight.”

He especially praised the government for its $5.5 million contribution to Telstra’s $28 million project involving a further 27 towers across the South East.

Mr Malinauskas described Country Cabinets as “bloody awesome”.

“They are unfiltered. They are unscripted. It is politics in the raw. And sometimes that is not necessarily in our interest.”

One by one ministers introduced themselves, then 16 people lined up behind a central microphone, and the room hushed.

Elizabeth Groom raised the poor condition of the Southern Ports Highway and dangerous intersection to South End.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis pledged to look at it with the head of his department before returning to Adelaide and Mr Malinauskas said it also needed to be costed.

Naracoorte South Primary School Principal Jess Edwards said there was an increase in children arriving at kindergartens and schools with a range of additional needs.

But they had to drive 100 kms to Mount Gambier, or relocate out of Naracoorte to get the help they needed. She asked what the government’s plans were for students “to access inclusive and high-quality education within their own community”.

Education Minister Blair Boyer explained that until the South East visit he had previously not been aware of the issue – hence the importance of country cabinets.

He said his department head “is working on it at the back of the room right now”.

Urologist and surgeon John Miller, considered a local after visiting Naracoorte for 26 years, had no reply to his letters written during the past three months. He was critical of health bureaucrats and the Mount Gambier hospital where some colleagues were withdrawing services because “it’s not manageable”.

“The second part of my question is, I wonder what you all have against men?”

Dr Hill explained SA has no robotic system for prostate surgery in the public health sector and men were paying $35,000 out of their savings for lifesaving surgery, with no other options available.

Health Minister Chris Picton was meeting with Dr Hill after the meeting.

Julie Earl asked Arts Minister Andrea Michaels to outline her plans for improving arts and culture in regions.

Ms Michaels highlighted some headline acts coming to the region including Bungarra Dance and Marcia Hines.

“But I think the really important work that Country Arts does is in supporting local artists to make sure they are career ready and support them through that,” she said. Ms Michaels described a $200,000 program to support artists and applications were available now for workshops.

Local farmer Todd Woodard referred to controversial rare earths mining on farms near Naracoorte, and asked the government’s position on “mining versus agriculture and food security”?

Mining and Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis explained the legal responsibilities of mining companies who extracted minerals, paid the government royalties and were required to rehabilitate the land.

Agriculture Minister Clare Scriven said the goal was to “meet all the multiple uses of land as well as the other resources that we have, so that we’re able to meet multiple goals at the same time”.

Mr Malinauskas highlighted a case in the Adelaide Hills “which surprised a number of people” where the government refused permission for a mine in order to preserve highly valuable farming land.

Naracoorte’s Trevor Bull questioned the pending demolition of Chowilla Creek’s “Foley’s Hut” and asked why the National Parks wanted to get rid of it? He said reasons given so far were “crap”.

Climate, Environment and Water Minister Susan Close explained the government’s position on access to houses in national parks and suggested a “a chat with the parks people” after the meeting.

Retired farmer Tony Hedges asked the cabinet how many drove and how many flew down from Adelaide. Most indicated they drove.

“Well, if you drove down here, you’d realise what a bloody awful road we’ve got,” Mr Hedges said.

Everyone laughed and Mr Malinauskas joked to his ministers “you should have flown”.

Mr Hedges then highlighted all the new TAFE colleges being built, but not at Naracoorte and there were none between Murray Bridge and Mount Gambier. His grandchildren had to travel 200 kms to Mount Gambier, over 150 kms to Murray Bridge, or miss out on training opportunities.

Mr Malinauskas said the government got “sweet little” media coverage, including from the ABC, for its $400 million expenditure on skills and trades and training places.

Education Minister Blair Boyer said the government was going to build accommodation at the Mount Gambier technical college which would be available in 2026.

Lucindale Post Office owner Geoff Robinson described the Lucindale health centre built at no cost to the government by the local community. Serviced privately by two GPs and a podiatrist, the centre had a publicly funded community nurse for services like vaccinations, blood tests, medication administration and wound dressings.

But the Mount Gambier based health bureaucracy was withdrawing the current funding arrangements for the community nurse.

Health Minister Chris Picton said those involved needed to work through the issues, and it was important to maintain local nursing services for people in Lucindale, “and do it in a way which was going to get the most effective outcome”.

Mount Burr farmer Duan Williams said he had written letters to the Agriculture Minister with questions on behalf of many farmers. But they were not answered.

He asked why the government was pushing ahead with a costly mandate of individual electronic identification of sheep – or ID Etags, especially when sheep had no commercial value.

Some sheep were now being shot in the district “because they have no commercial value.”

Cape Jaffa’s Rick Thomas revealed there was still no potable water at the Cape Jaffa development.

Deputy Premier Susan Close said she presumed legal options were being explored and she had issued a direction to SA Water to maintain the current services.

Pearl restaurant proprietor Hafeezullah called for the state government to help reverse rule changes regarding migration and skilled workers in a bid to help the hospitality industry.

Ms Close said she was very disappointed with the federal government’s decision on skilled migration visas. “So we are in discussions with the Federal Government about that,” she said.

An anonymous speaker said she had spent four years trying to get solar parks in the region “so that we don’t end up like Bordertown and cut off from the grid”. She was discouraged to learn “that your solution is to put in diesel generators” and that substations and lines were not being upgraded. Power lines with enormous amounts of power and heat were sagging and being hit by trucks and starting fires. “Who is going to be responsible for the lifting of those lines?” she asked.

Energy and Mines Minister Tom Koutsantonis said it was an excellent question and he wished the owners of the lines were here to hear that. He said diesel generators were put in at Bordertown by the owners because it was cheaper and the SA Government “has no say in it”.

Deanne Carmody revealed part of her personal journey with her son and radiation therapy in Adelaide. She asked Mr Malinaskous and Mr Picton to attend a radiation working group meeting. “We had a petition that was the biggest ever seen in the region and we went to parliament. We are not going away.”

Mr Malinaskous said he was happy to keep talking.

Robe’s Heather Gibbons explained changes to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) regulations and a pandemic treaty which gave “a massive extension of power to the WHO, and loss of control by member countries like Australia”. “Will you advocate for all South Australians, for Australia to exit the WHO?”

Mr Malinaskous said he had not been briefed on any of those changes “but ultimately, this is our country and we need to make decisions about what happens in our country”.

Emma Emehlhopt asked Human Services Minister Nat Cook if assisting with administration and start up funding for a community hub was something her office could help with?

Ms Cook said she would like to work with the council “if there is a will to look at establishing something in this area” and asked to catch up after the meeting.

Naracoorte’s Heather Heggie said: “My beef is plastic” and asked the premier and ministers to “please get rid of plastic in everything as soon as possible”.

Deputy Premier and Environment Minister Susan Close explained state and federal initiatives being worked on to reduce plastic. “Thank you for raising it, it is really important,” Ms Close said.

This article appeared in the Naracoorte Community News.