APY Lands plan ignored for more than a decade, State Opposition Leader Steven Marshall has told a Closing the Gap forum

A PLAN that would fix the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands has been on the table but ignored for more than a decade, a forum has heard.

A PLAN that would fix the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands has been on the table but ignored for more than a decade, State Opposition Leader Steven Marshall has told a Closing the Gap forum in Adelaide.

Mr Marshall told the Adelaide University hosted Around the Campfire forum, which featured panellists including State Minister for indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation Kyam Maher, the Bob Collins report, reviewed by World Vision chief executives Tim Costello and Lowitja O’Donaghue in 2004, contains recommendations that must be implemented.

“One of the major problems we have across remote Aboriginal communities is the duplication of services and programs,’’ Mr Marshall said.

“There’s not one strategic plan for the APY Lands. You have all these programs essentially competing against each other.

“In remote SA, you’ve got 86 different plans. Resources are being spent extremely poorly.

“People are very cynical when they see a project going into a community now.

“I’m not alone when I say the best thing we could do is go back to that report and start implementing it.

Mr Maher suggested that if the answer to how to make progress in the APY Lands was simple “people smarter than Steven and I would have come up with it”.

“I’m disappointed at the reduction of funding (for indigenous communities) at a federal level,’’ he said.

The Budget has taken a further $56 million from indigenous projects, on top of $500 million last year.

Mr Maher pointed to the success of the Mai Wiru food truck service, a weekly road train to the APY lands since September supplying fresh produce from South Australian growers at 25 per cent cheaper than what was previously available.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher says after initial funding of $400,000 the program is now delivering a profit which is being invested in cultural programs on the APY lands.

The forum, held in the University of Adelaide’s Ingkarni Wardli Atrium on Thursday nigh was staged as part of the launch for Around the Campfire concert launch.

Around the Campfire and Port Adelaide Football Club will stage a concert, headlined by John Williamson and featuring a host of Aboriginal artists, at Alberton Oval on October 10. Funds raised go to the PAFC Aboriginal Programs, The Australian Numeracy and Literacy Foundation and Fred Hollows Foundation.

Tickets for the concert go on sale today through Oztix.