District Council of Coober Pedy Newsletter Welcome to the Opal Capital of the World

January 2020

Dear Citizen, Water Assets and Business will peak at approximately $18 million The findings of the detailed dropping to approximately $15 million Happy New Year investigation by SA Water of the at the end of the ten year period. You On behalf of the Council can I wish Council’s water system should are encouraged to inform yourself of you and your family a happy and be available in early March. The what is being proposed. prosperous new year. The year ahead negotiations then begin! should see significant progress on Time Commitment and a number of fronts hopefully in The options for negotiation are: Cost of the Administrator partnership with our stakeholders. • Council continues to own and As flagged previously there is now operate the system with a subsidy scope to reduce the time commitment Australia Day and the Coober provided by the State Government and therefore the cost of the Pedy Awards to ensure water pricing equity; Administrator. This is due to progress Australia Day celebrations were • Council continues to own the being made in getting the Council reintroduced this year by Council. system but SA Water operate it back into shape and the recent A Citizenship Ceremony was held with a subsidy provided by the appointment of an ongoing CEO. in the morning where two members State Government; My original estimate was that I could of the local Sri Lankan community • SA Water owns the system but reduce to half-time about mid-year, become Australian citizens. In the Council operates it with a subsidy however I now believe this will be afternoon a pool party and barbecue from the State Government; and possible earlier. As a consequence, were held at the pool. The event • SA Water owns and operates I have sought the approval of the was well attended and provided the system with a subsidy Minister to reduce my time to half time a fitting venue to announce the from the State Government. in the next month. Obviously, this will winners of our community awards. reduce the cost to the community by Long Term Financial Plan half. I have also indicated to the State The Coober Pedy Awards were The draft ten year financial plan Government that I am prepared to reintroduced to recognise the has the Council returning to a perform the role until 2022 if needed. significant contributions that balanced budget by 2021/22. This individuals and organisations make is a significant turnaround from Council and Town Meetings to the Coober Pedy community. the $2.4 million deficit in 2017/18, From February, Council meetings Details are included elsewhere in the year immediately preceding will be held on the second and this newsletter. On behalf of the the term of the Administrator. fourth Tuesdays of the month. Town community can I congratulate all This deficit was the largest in meetings will be held on the Thursday nominees and winners and thank the proportion to its annual budget of after the first Council meeting of the people who took the time to nominate any Council in South Australia. month. It is my intention that these individuals and organisations. town meetings in future are less The level of debt is proposed to about the Council and more about Water Pricing Equity increase significantly to renew other issues in the town. Council still has not received a community assets. This is vital. A response from Minister Speirs to its community must periodically replace Until next time, request that the State Government its assets. Over the last decade, acknowledge the inequity that exists Council has expended very little on its Tim Jackson in relation to water pricing in Coober assets. The plan includes significant Administrator Pedy when compared with the rest of capital expenditure of approximately [email protected] the State. You may recall that Council $20 million over the ten years of the 0417 016 161 has asked for an interim subsidy plan. Most of this will be spent on road which would allow us to deliver water pavements and the water system. to you at Adelaide prices. The lack To fund this, it will be necessary to of a response from the Minister is increase debt levels significantly, Next Town Meeting extremely disappointing, particularly albeit they will be within agreed Local 13th February 2020 in respect of acknowledging the Government prudential limits for most 7:00pm at the Golf Club inequity. of the plan and most importantly for the last three years of the plan. Debt www.cooberpedy.sa.gov.au Page 1 District Council of Coober Pedy Newsletter Welcome to the Opal Capital of the World

January 2020

Australia Day Celebrations Young Citizen of the Year Thanks were given to everyone • Attila Foelai involved in putting on the event, On Sunday 26 January 2020, Council including: held a Pool Party at the Coober Citizen of the Year Pedy Area School swimming pool to • Chevahn Hoad • Kylie Hay for donating 280 celebrate Australia Day. The event • Matt Key sausages; included a Welcome to Country by • Kath Mitchell • The Town Store for donating 100 Ian Crombie, Aboriginal music and • Nick Moulas sausages and the onions; dance by David and Mark Crombie, • The IGA for donating all the bread a free sausage sizzle, a cake The nominations were judged by a and the vegetarian sausages; stall and music by Paul Howard, panel consisting of Mayor Les Hoad*, • To Paul Howard for providing the Australia Day Awards, a speech from Tim Jackson and two former Citizen cake stall and the music; Australia Day Ambassador, Michael of the Year winners, Dawn Jones and • To Rusty, Dino, Sally and Trish O’Connor (who had flown in from Trish Turner. Australia Day Council for manning the BBQs and drink the UK the day before then taken Ambassador, Michael O’Connell, stall; the overnight bus to Coober Pedy presented the winners with their • Donna, the pool manager, and all to be with us) and beautiful balloon awards as follows: her staff kept swimmers safe; sculptures by Michael Ahmazing. • To the staff of the Council Works • Community Event of the Year: Department for setting everything An estimated 200 citizens and Opal Festival 2019 up; visitors attended the celebrations. • Young Citizen of the Year: • To the Breakaways Co- Tim Jackson, the Administrator, Attila Foelai Management Board for providing managed proceedings, the highlight • Citizen of the Year: the Eskies; of which was the Australia Day Chevahn Hoad • To Gai Di Donna and the Awards. Thanks were given to Catacomb Church for providing everyone who nominated citizens and * It should be noted that Les the trestle tables; acknowledgements given of the huge Hoad abstained from the final • The CP Retail, Business and amount of time and effort volunteers judging of the Citizen of the Year. Tourism Association for lending contribute to the community every us the PA system; year, without which many of the social An additional Lifetime Achievement • To Trish Turner and the Youth events and economic developments Award was also granted to: Shed for the use of their of the town could not happen. • Nick Moulas refrigerators and BBQ utensils; • To Tim Jackson and Sophie The following nominations were Balloon sculpturer, Michael Ahmazing, Reynolds for bringing back this received for the Australia Day Awards: then entertained the children with his event after a few years’ absence; fabulous inflatable creations. And for • And to Jill Maden for taking over Community Event of the Year those of you who particularly enjoyed the organization of the event from • Opal Festival 2019 (managed his performance, you’ll be pleased Sophie at the last minute and by Coober Pedy Retail, to hear, Michael will be back for the bringing everything together on Business & Tourism Association) Coober Pedy Opal Festival in June the day; 2020.

Left to right: Awards presented by Tim Jackson and Australia Day Ambassador Michael O’Connor Community Event of the Year: Opal Festival 2019 George Russell, Deb Clee, Kath Mitchell , Citizen of the Year: Chevahn Hoad, Young Citizen of the Year: Attila Foelai www.cooberpedy.sa.gov.au Page 2