Across all Australian infrastructure sectors, there are ongoing challenges in delivering services to meet community expectations. This is particularly true in Small Towns, Rural Communities and Remote Areas.
As outlined in the 2019 Audit and in other chapters, many remote communities have access to limited infrastructure for essential services such as water and transport.
The impact of this is particularly stark in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
" Many remote communities have access to limited infrastructure for essential services such as water and transport. "
Different states have different agreements to support the delivery of these essential services. Between 2014-15, the Australian Government reached an agreement with the Queensland, Western Australian, Victorian, Tasmania and Northern Territory governments to transfer the responsibility for energy, water and other municipal and essential services in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities from the Australian government to these jurisdictions.82
South Australia reached a similar agreement with the Australian Government in 2015, receiving additional funding to provide municipal services on Aboriginal lands, but the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands were excluded from the agreement.83 Currently, municipal services for these communities are funded by the Australian Government and delivered by a Northern Territory-based Aboriginal corporation, while essential services such as water and energy are delivered by the South Australian government. To support a nationally consistent approach and ensure services are delivered in an efficient, equitable and community-led manner, responsibility for municipal service delivery for the APY lands should be transferred from the Australian Government to the South Australian Government. The Australian Government should provide additional funding to the South Australian government to expand the geographic reach of the Municipal Services (MUNS program).