Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have spoken on a number of occasions recently about the closure of the coal fired power stations at Port Augusta that are owned by Alinta and the effect on that community, and also the Leigh Creek community to the north. Last Friday and Saturday, I journeyed to Leigh Creek and the surrounding communities of Beltana, Lyndhurst, Copley and Nepabunna to talk firsthand with locals about how they see their future and how the closure of the mine was likely to affect the town of Leigh Creek. Leigh Creek is a government owned town. It is owned by the South Australian government but, under contract, is administered by Alinta, who have a contract to keep running that community for another three years, which will be long past the time that they actually need it.

We really need some guidance from the South Australian government about what it is they plan to do with the town of Leigh Creek. Most of us presume they need to keep the school open, they need to keep the police there. But the question is what happens to the health services? What happens to the shop, which is quite large—aside from focusing on the local population, it is a great provider for the tourist industry and the pastoralists beyond? What happens to the hotel? What happens to the desalination plant? What happens to the sewerage plant? All of these things are providing services to the surrounding communities. We need an answer from Minister Brock in the Labor government in South Australia, and the Labor government generally, to give these people guidance on where it is they need to go.