The renewal of the Coober Pedy Together facilitator’s $80,000-a-year contract has left many locals shaking their heads. Rate payers flooded the Minister’s office with objections, only to be met with generic responses that failed to address any of their concerns.
In his first reply, Minister Joe Szakacs spoke broadly about the future of Coober Pedy under administration but said little about the specific issue at hand—the facilitator’s contract. When pushed for clarity, he doubled down with a second letter, claiming he had no jurisdiction and directing residents back to council. The problem, of course, is obvious: there is no elected council. Coober Pedy remains under state administration. The Minister for Local Government telling residents to take their concerns to a council that doesn’t exist is more than just dismissive, it borders on farce.
What makes this situation all the more frustrating is that the community never asked for Coober Pedy Together in the first place. Many locals remain openly opposed to the group, questioning why an outsider—someone who doesn’t even live in Coober Pedy—should be paid handsomely to “facilitate” community engagement here. Engagement with whom, exactly? The group is notorious for blocking comments on its social media, silencing the very community it claims to represent.
Even their recent announcement about becoming incorporated raises eyebrows. Last year, the community was told incorporation had already happened. Were we misled then, or is the current claim just another example of smoke and mirrors?
Residents are not interested in finding a way into Coober Pedy Together, they are asking why public money is being funnelled into it at all. Especially when groups made up of actual rate payers, like the Coober Pedy Alliance, struggle to get a single government official to respond to their correspondence.
Meanwhile, the CPT facilitator enjoys office space inside council chambers, complete with resources such as phone, internet and copier access. Council insists this doesn’t make CPT part of council, but it certainly looks like special treatment. Other community groups would no doubt appreciate the same perks, but they don’t get them.
From the failed $7.5 million outdoor movie theatre project to years of decisions out of step with community wishes, CPT has not earned the trust of Coober Pedy’s residents. Instead, the group has become a symbol of how disconnected state-backed initiatives can be when they ignore the lived reality of those paying the rates.
So the question stands: what exactly are we paying $80,000 for this year? Because from where rate payers are sitting, it looks like money spent on silencing the community rather than strengthening it.