Forestry, manufacturing top Premier’s agenda despite cries for mental health, affordable housing
Steven Marshall’s visit to the South East didn’t help net the region affordable housing or mental health facilities – but it did pay lip service to the region’s biggest employer.
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Cries for more affordable housing, mental health services and better public transport in the South East went largely ignored during Premier Steven Marshall’s visit.
Forestry and manufacturing industries the big items on Mr Marshall’s agenda during his tour of the region, who admitted more needed to be done for regional health care.
This was despite a comprehensive wishlist, asking for more affordable housing, mental health services, tourism, coastal management and a slew of other demands, by leaders in the region.
Mr Marshall’s major stop on his whirlwind visit was toilet paper manufacturer Kimberly Clark Australia to celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary at Millicent Mill.
There he acknowledged the sacrifices made by the border community under “restrictions at a higher level than most other parts of the state” during the pandemic.
Kimberly Clark’s hit their milestone in 2020, but the region’s largest employer was busy keeping loo roll on the shelves during the COVID-19 pandemic – which the Premier remarked on.
“It’s not a gastro disease,” he said.
“It made them feel safer, more protected, who knows why, but I'm very grateful for this operation was continuously operating during that very difficult period.
“The country was relying on you guys.”
Premier Marshall also met with forestry leaders from the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub in Mount Gambier with productive discussions on future proofing, water access and firefighting, noting the recent announcement of a $60 million Timberlink project at Tarpeena.
“We are 100 per cent committed to growing this sector, making it more sustainable and of course, employing more people,” he said.
“There’s plenty more than needs to happen and that is only going to happen by good two-way, respectful negotiations between the sector and the government looking at ways that we can improve the sustainability of the long term employment in this very, very crucial sector.”
Mr Marshall also visited Roundwood Solutions’ Tantanoola site where managing director Stephen Telford said development in manufacturing was crucial in creating employment opportunities for locals.
“It’s an honour to have the Premier come out and have a look at our business and listen to where we’re going and his Liberal Government has been a fantastic supporter of our endeavours and we hope that he will continue to be a supporter,” Mr Telford said.
“He was very excited to hear what we want to get up to and the role that we intend to play in regional development in the MacKillop area.”
When question on the state of regional hospitals and mental health services said he was “the first to admit there’s still a huge amount of work to be done”.
“(Labor) were in government for 16 years they completely and utterly neglected our country hospitals,” he said.
“Since we’ve come to government we’ve had to deal with a range of issues across country SA, dealing with the urgent backlog of maintenance in our hospitals has been a very high priority and so has workforce development.
“This is one of the critical constraints is getting the right doctors and nurses to work in country SA.”
He said the strain on mental health was of concern and would look into future funding before going on to explain new facilities and services to be introduced in Adelaide and the continuation of telehealth services.
“In regional South Australia it is a little bit more complicated,” he said.
EARLIER:
Steven Marshall is expected to visit the South East on Tuesday with a number of big businesses and major projects on his itinerary.
The Premier last visited the region in aftermath of the Blackford bushfire in January and stopped in Mount Gambier last August where he received his first COVID-19 test.
Ahead of the tour we spoke to community stakeholders to find out what important issues they hoped to see on his agenda.
Have you got a question for the Premier? Let us know in the comments below.
MENTAL HEALTH
Mental health is one of the region’s top priorities for 2021 according to independent Mount Gambier MP Troy Bell.
“Limestone Coast services are experiencing tremendous demand for their services and a large increase of clients, accessing services for the first time in their lives,” Mr Bell said.
“But the waitlist to access services, including counselling and psychologists, can be anywhere between two and 12 months long.
“If you can’t access services and support early, problems build until they reach an acute stage.
“This is having a major impact on our hospital system, which is seeing more and more people presenting for crisis care and putting existing services under pressure.
“There needs to be a co-ordinated approach that focuses on early intervention and is specific to our region.”
Naracoorte Lucindale Council said ensuring equity in health services in regional areas was crucial with anecdotal reports of community member’s travelling to Mount Gambier due to the lack of duty doctor in Naracoorte on the weekends.
Grant Council also highlighted the importance of public health and community wellbeing in the COVID-19 recovery with an emphasis on mental health services and employment.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Mount Gambier is experiencing a housing shortfall and Mayor Lynette Martin said the city needed increased funding to expand the availability of affordable housing.
“Council recently resolved to write to the state and federal governments and individual parliamentarians to lobby for increased funding to expand the stock of affordable, including social and community housing available in Mount Gambier and throughout the Limestone Coast,” Mayor Martin said.
“While council is not a housing provider or a funder, we have a role to advocate for those vulnerable people in our community and we are liaising with local homelessness sector services to do so.”
Her appeal was echoed by Naracoorte Lucindale Council which said increased housing stock and affordability were crucial in enticing people to come and work in regional areas where there are good employment opportunities.
FORESTRY
Chair Ian McDonnell said the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub would brief the Premier on key issues facing the sector and its research designed to future proof the industry including harnessing drainage water for industry and environmental gain.
“This research includes unlocking pathways for new domestic manufacturing and expanding production in our existing operations by optimising the value and uses of the fibre we grow in this region, in addition to our ambition to grow our plantation estate to meet growing domestic consumption by partnering with other land owners,” Mr McDonnell said.
“Water is a huge hurdle in meeting these expansion goals; in fact our estate has reduced by more than 20,000ha in the past five years because access to water cannot be secured under the state-managed Water Allocation Plan.
“Furthermore, fire management is another important issue for the region, ensuring the government understand the value of our industry brigade services and the importance of continuing to invest in regional fire detection assets which not only protect our estates, but all communities.”
Labor MLC Clare Scriven said the Marshall Liberal Government had let down the forestry industry – one of the region’s largest employers.
“Before the 2018 State Election, the Liberals committed to setting a target of doubling the economic value of the domestic manufacturing sector by 2050, but in November last year (during Parliamentary estimates) Primary Industries Minister David Basham confirmed there had been a 9.24 per cent decline in the value of forestry commodities since coming to office,” Ms Scriven said.
“The Marshall Liberal Government has so far also refused to commit to continued funding for the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation Centre in Mount Gambier.
“The Marshall Liberal Government said that Infrastructure SA would develop a 20-year infrastructure strategy and 5-year plans that would include infrastructure requirements for the timber industry. In the long awaited report which was released last year, there were no projects listed as a priority for the forestry sector.”
COASTAL MANAGEMENT
For the coastal communities of Grant Council climate change, sea level rise and storm surges are of concern.
In a statement the council said without a focus on coast management issues, Pelican Point, Cape Douglas and its largest town, Port MacDonnell could be impacted by future environmental events.
“Council wishes to protect these communities and enable them to be sustainable for many years to come,” it said.
TOURISM
As regional tourism flourishes both Naracoorte Lucindale Council and MP Troy Bell said the industry must be on the agenda.
“I’d also like to see a focus on tourism, one of the Premier’s portfolios and very timely, given Mount Gambier is a very deserving finalist for the SA Top Tourism Town,” Mr Bell said.
“The huge influx of tourists recently has demonstrated the pulling power of South Australia’s regional areas and tourism is a huge drawcard.
“We now have a world-class welcome for air tourists through the redeveloped Mount Gambier Regional Airport, which has benefited from $4m in targeted investment by our state government.
“There’s been some funding from the Tourism Industry Development Fund awarded this week to accommodation providers, which is great, however I think our community would love to see some state government focus and funding to promote Mount Gambier’s incredible natural assets, like our famous sinkholes and walking trails.”
PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND ROADS
A regional public transport review must be undertaken according to Ms Scriven.
“In 2020 I moved a motion that was passed in the Legislative Council calling on the Marshall Liberal Government to review regional public transport in the Limestone Coast and all regional SA,” Ms Scriven said.
“Bus service funding in metropolitan Adelaide works out at $234 per a capita compared with only $11 per a capital in regional areas.
“My motion called for a review to be completed and report back to the Legislative Council by October 30, 2020. This has not happened.”
With a public transport system that has been described as underfunded, inadequate and straight out of the 60s or 70s, Mayor Martin said Mount Gambier Council was actively lobbying for improved services.
The council recently submitted a report outlining its inadequacies to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport to form part of the South Australian Public Transport Authority’s Regional Public Transport Review.
“A large percentage of passengers rely on the bus service to access medical and welfare services, shopping and education and some people are required to walk up to a kilometre to access the service,” she said.
“Some rely on mobility aids; therefore, safe accessibility both to and while using the public bus service is vital.”
The maintenance of local road networks are must be a shared responsibility of state and council according to Grant Council.
“There is a need to support ongoing programs and funding which allow these roads to be satisfactorily maintained and improved into the future,” the council said in a statement.
Wattle Range Council and Kingston Council were also contacted.
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