Nasik Swami, Naracoorte Community News

The decision by two major commercial banks to scrap the closure of several branches across small towns in regional South Australia has been dubbed "a win for the community”. Bank SA and Westpac branches will remain open indefinitely in regional South Australian towns, including Naracoorte and Kingston. The decision by the banks in February to terminate in-person banking in the regional communities angered customers...

The proposed immigration reforms recently announced by the government have the potential to hobble the economic growth of smaller South Australian towns in the future. That’s the view of Shadow Minister for State Migration and Regional Population Growth, Sam Telfer, who argues the reforms are “focused on the wrong levers”. Mr Telfer told The News that the reforms would impact regional South Australian businesses and won’t address their labour needs.

A local disability advocate has called on some businesses in Naracoorte to fix access to their shops for people with mobility disabilities. Julie Brodie of the Naracoorte Counselling Association says the area of contention for people with mobility disabilities is by far the lack of access to certain shops in Naracoorte.

Not-for-profit aged care facilities in the region are in a funding crisis. Revealing this to The [Naracoorte Community] News, CEO of Naracoorte’s Longridge Aged Care, Mary-Ann Koerner, said this was the most pressing issue facing the state and federal governments, needing immediate solutions. Ms Koerner said the issue was even over and above health in general, with facilities full to capacity, a lack of staff to look after the elderly, and improper state funding.

The Naracoorte Lucindale Council administration does not have an engineering report that mitigates the risk of flooding in the township, says Cr Cameron Grundy. Cr Grundy told the council’s meeting on March 28 that he was inundated with reports from the public worried about the blocked Naracoorte Creek and the flooding implications it could have.

More needs to be done to incentivize the aged care industry in the Limestone Coast region and make it more appealing, says Shadow Minister for Ageing Penny Pratt. Ms Pratt says as the population in the regional towns continues to grow, with that must come an expansion of services, including aged care ... “More and more people want to age well at home or be assured that their quality of life will be enhanced in aged care facilities”: Shadow Minister for Ageing Penny Pratt.

The federal, state, and local governments have a role to play in curbing the housing crisis in Naracoorte and its surrounding towns. That’s the word from Shadow Minister for Regional South Australia, Nicola Centofanti, who revealed a state migration strategy was being developed to tackle the housing crisis in the regional towns. Ms Centofanti told The News that the strategy would be made public once it was ready.

Will our council rates increase next financial year? While that could be possible because of inflationary pressures, an elected councillor of the Naracoorte Lucindale Council hopes the new council adheres to its core responsibilities and does not increase rates excessively. Last year Cr Cameron Grundy called on the council to look at how it could more fairly spread the rate burden across the district.

The state and federal governments are indirectly influencing the housing shortage in Naracoorte and surrounding townships, claims a local real estate agent. Cameron Grundy of SAL Real Estate says for decades, the state government has retreated from the traditional housing trust model of building and selling properties, which has contributed to the housing crisis of today.