Kingston South East sewerage project prioritised after health concerns, but costs high
Kingston South East has been moved to the top of the list for state government funding for an expanded sewerage system after advice from SA Health to the Kingston District Council about risks to public health and the environment from water being contaminated via aging and non-compliant septic systems.
Some people use bores near neighbours' septic tanks for water in their houses and gardens that can then get contaminated with faeces, council chief executive Ian Hart said.
"The proximity of bores to people's drinking supply and other domestic supply is a real issue in Kingston."
If the project goes ahead, property owners where the new Community Wastewater Management System (CWMS) would be connected in the suburbs of Rosetown, Wyomi and Pinks Beach would have to pay a quarter of the cost of the new system, which the council estimates at $1,000 per property per year over 10 years.
The other three quarters of the money for the new sewerage system would come from the state government via a grant scheme administered by the Local Government Association of South Australia.
People would have to pay extra for their block to be connected to the new system.
Resident Mark Lively estimated it could cost $23,000 to $28,000 per property, despite many of them already having functional septic systems.
"This CWMS is basically just being done so the council can get 20 or 30 properties added onto their rate base," he said.
About 270 of the blocks affected are vacant.
People who want to build a house on them now have to install holding tanks for their wastewater.
Les Gullickson and his wife, Sharon, are building a house in Kingston that they hope to retire to.
They found out about the cost of emptying holding tanks after starting their build.
"If they don't go ahead with the full sewerage and stuff like that, I think we'll be moving out of Kingston because we can't afford to [live here]," Mr Gullickson said.
"If we have to pump it every two weeks, that's a rough estimate of $600 a month.
"Times that by 12 months in a year, that's quite a few dollars more than what a sewerage system would cost to run, and if we had known that we had to do this, I may not have gone ahead with the build."
Mr Hart said the estimated costs were only "indicative" until more detailed plans for the system could be drawn up.
He said properties connected to the sewerage system would increase in value.
"This project will enable them to build with confidence, and that will help Kingston because it means our town will grow and it means there will be more housing available," he said.
"We know there is a housing shortage, and it will be good for our community."
Consultation sessions on the project will be held this week, with a decision expected in the coming months.
Work would start in mid-2026 and finish a year later.
The project will not include adding piped drinking water to Rosetown, Wyomi or Pinks Beach.
Residential property owners in the Kingston District Council are facing a 9 per cent rate increase this year, with the council also having to deal with multi-million-dollar projects to fix the Kingston jetty and the Maria Creek boat ramp, as well as ongoing costs related to the Cape Jaffa marina.
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Buy SA Week: Celebrate and support our local producers
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'But, more broadly, I've really enjoyed just seeing how we're trying to sell SA products – and us thinking about how we keep people in SA and provide opportunities for them becomes really critical.' Vandenbergh says there's a 'nice opportunity' to promote businesses based in the regions and the remote communities, such as SA Indigenous art. 'I'd like to really highlight all the amazing companies we have in SA that are First Nations-led, such as Daniel Motlop's (Indigenous food supplies business) Something Wild. 'There are some amazing products and industries where people are doing some really good things. That's part of my role, too, to help magnify those.' South Australian products will come into the spotlight during this year's Buy SA Week, which provides an opportunity to celebrate local products during a week-long line-up of activities from July 28 to August 3. The week will feature a mix of tastings, giveaways and cooking demonstrations at various venues throughout Adelaide and country South Australia. Vandenbergh says Buy SA Week – first held last year – presents a fantastic chance to highlight what South Australia has to offer, including the state's wealth of premium wine, which produces 80 per cent of the volume nationally. Buying SA also contributes enormously to the state's bottom line, with merchandise exports totalling $17.8bn annually. 'When people choose South Australian produce, products and services, they're not just getting great quality; they're supporting local people, keeping money in SA, as well as reducing environmental impacts, with less freight and higher production standards,' Vandenbergh says. 'We've got some really amazing products here in South Australia – not just First Nations, but right across the board. And, coming from the wine industry, I think we're definitely spoiled in that sector.' 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'We're also helping highlight the traditional owners of where the grapes come, from which I think is really important.' The label is beginning to make inroads into overseas markets, with orders from Canada and Malaysia, and from the Native American Chamber of Commerce, to supply several casinos in the US. Burra merino wool in fashion around the world Across Australia and the globe, retailers are warming to a South Australian fashion business that is created from purely local merino wool. Emily Riggs and her family run more than 15,000 merino sheep across four properties at Burra in the state's Mid North, and in 2019 the young designer embraced her love of merino wool and fashion by founding Iris & Wool. 'I'm married to a wool producer and fell in love with the fibre, and thought how could I contribute to the wool industry and shine a light on our wool growers? So I created a fashion brand,' she says. 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'Buying SA helps strengthen the state's economic resilience, which is important during drought, and with last year being the driest on record, a bit of help and support goes a long way.' 'Not only is Australia the world's largest producer of wool, but this pure yarn is renewable, biodegradable and sustainable.' Still nuts about Ditters A much-celebrated South Australian icon is making a return to the Adelaide CBD, bringing the more-than 100-year-old brand into the 21st century. Ditters, the beloved SA fruit and nut company, has been a staple of high-quality gifts and snacks since 1918, taking pride and place underneath Christmas trees and featuring at local celebrations ever since. From its humble beginnings as a market stall by creator Otto Kurt Ditter, the company was acquired by Matt and Esther Johnson in 2019. This month the iconic brand opens a new store in Adelaide Arcade – in the same shopfront the company occupied more than 40 years ago. 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Connecting to the community Since arriving in Australia from Italy, Andrea Iannucci and Elisa D'Amico have created a culinary destination that celebrates everything about the country that has embraced them. The Bond Store Microbrewery and Distillery in Wallaroo has become a must-visit destination in the Yorke Peninsula town, offering locally brewed beers, handcrafted gins and delectable dishes all celebrating the region. It didn't happen overnight. From 2013 the pair worked and travelled around Australia and the state before stumbling across their dream: A place where locals could celebrate the best of their offerings together and bring big flavours, bold ideas and a sense of pride to the small town. 'It's definitely a point of difference being in a regional area – you wouldn't expect a place like this,' Andrea says. 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ABC News
20 hours ago
- ABC News
SA government offers financial lifeline to disability employment provider Bedford
Disability employment provider Bedford will avoid entering voluntary administration for now, with the state government offering a $15 million lifeline to the organisation. Bedford had flagged on Thursday that it would enter administration on Sunday unless it was given a financial lifeline. Premier Peter Malinauskas said a "comprehensive" rescue plan has now been developed to "stave-off" the organisation going into administration. Bedford has 22 sites across Adelaide and regional South Australia. It is understood the organisation employs over 800 staff and supports 1,400 people living with a disability.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
The future is uncertain for South Australia's major disability employment provider. What does it mean for those it supports?
Twenty years ago, the Clarke family took their son Ryan along to his first day of work. "We were probably more nervous than him," Ryan's dad, Gerry Clarke, said. "Ryan adapts well to most things. He loved it since day one." Ryan, who lives with Down Syndrome, has worked in packaging at South Australian disability employment provider Bedford ever since. The 39-year-old said he has met his best friend and girlfriend at Bedford and enjoyed going every day. But now, the job he loves — along with those of many other South Australians living with disability — is at risk, following the news that Bedford is set to enter administration. That thought has been something Mr Clarke "can't even comprehend". "It's just such an important part of his [Ryan's] life and the life of 1,400 supported employees," he said. Mr Clarke described Ryan as a "loyal worker" who attended Bedford four days a week. "It's more than a workplace, it's like a family. They care for each other. They support each other … it's a unique environment." Mr Clarke said Bedford had helped Ryan in numerous ways over the decades. "Ryan's growth, his learning and development, his maturity, the social skills he's developed [at Bedford] … is just amazing," he said. Mr Clarke said while he was in "shock and disbelief" at the news that Bedford may go into voluntary administration, he hoped the organisation, state, and federal governments would "find a way" to ensure it was not lost. "We're hopeful a solution will be found," he said. Over in Port Lincoln, Bronwyn Warland feels the same, saying she was also "really shocked" at the news, but "hopeful for a positive outcome". Her son, Lakota, attends Bedford twice a week, going grocery shopping and cooking meals for others. "He loves it there, he views it as his work," she said. "He is non-verbal, so he uses sign language and he signs every morning that he's off to work, and he's so proud to be going to work like his mum and dad and sister." She said attending Bedford had benefits for both Lakota and the wider family. "For him, it's given him a purpose. When he was at school, he got up and went to school every day. When that finished, it was sort of an unknown and then Bedford was available," she said. She said if Bedford were to close, it would be "catastrophic for the whole of South Australia". "There's so many families that would be affected," she said. "The clients themselves, that's their outlet, their social gathering. It would mean that they would be very isolated, they would be staying at home more." She said the effects would be more strongly felt in regional areas like Port Lincoln. "There isn't very many options in our rural areas … Bedford's been around in Port Lincoln for years and years, and provided an amazing service for our disability community," she said. Ms Warland said Lakota enjoyed the opportunity to "get out and about" in the community through Bedford, and had developed a "lot of camaraderie" with a "really good bunch of people". "In the morning, he has his work bag, he hops into the back of the car and I'm driving him and he taps me on the shoulder about 20 times on the way and signs, 'work, work work' with a big smile on his face," she said. "He's really excited to be going to work. Bedford offers supported employment opportunities in areas ranging from hospitality, gardening, laundry and manufacturing, with a workforce understood to be numbering 1,650, including those it supports as well as other employees. Its website states it has grown to become the second-largest employer of people with disability in Australia, and the largest in South Australia, with 22 locations, and it has operated for 80 years. In addition to supported employment, Bedford also has a residential service accommodating about 50 people living with disability. Sky Harvey has worked in packaging at Bedford for nearly nine years and said she had made "heaps of great mates" through her work. She had hoped to make it to a decade of working at Bedford, but was now uncertain about the future. "Bedford is quite important to me. I nearly made up to nine years and I wanted to make my 10, but I don't know if I can quite make it there yet or not," she said. Bedford had issued a statement on Thursday evening saying that it expected to enter voluntary administration on Sunday; however, on Friday — following a crisis meeting with the state government — its board chair said it was hopeful of a "pathway forward" whilst acknowledging there was "a lot of work to be done" over the weekend. The chair, Janet Miller, said there were a "few things at play" that had led to Bedford experiencing a "cashflow problem". "There is the sustainability of the NDIS model for supported employment, there is the strategy we've embarked upon to transition those supported employees into open employment, and those businesses not getting the traction within the time we expected they would," she said. Federal Health and NDIS Minister Mark Butler said Beford was one of "thousands of organisations providing NDIS services", and he "can't think of another organisation that has got itself into the position that Bedford management has". "I think it's quite clear that Bedford has tried a number of frankly quite different ways to diversify its financial base and that hasn't worked for them," he said. Ms Miller said Bedford had created three social enterprises to transition people into open employment, rather than supported employment, following recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability. Ms Miller said setting up the social enterprises required a "significant investment in working capital" and because "the return hasn't been there as quickly as we had hoped, that's impacted the working capital that's been available to provide support to those businesses". Mark Butler said he was "deeply, deeply worried" for the South Australians living with a disability "for whom Bedford is a lifeline." "Most other jurisdictions have a number of different supported employment providers, so if one got into difficulty, it would be relatively easy to see people transferred to other providers. "Bedford is so big in South Australia … that if it does go under, some of the NDIS services will be relatively straightforward to redeploy to other providers, but the supported employment opportunities will be very difficult to transition because of the sheer scale of it." South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas echoed Mr Butler's concerns, saying Bedford's role in South Australia was "unique in comparison to its counterparts in other jurisdictions". "Bedford is a major employer of people in supported wages in South Australia, whereas in other jurisdictions, particularly on the eastern coast, we see more than one player within the market," he said. "That is not true here in South Australia. "There are a couple of large players rather than a whole suite of different players, so it isn't easy to see a situation where Bedford goes into liquidation and all of a sudden those people get picked up overnight in other opportunities — that's an unlikely sequence of events." Mental Health Coalition of South Australia board president and Skylight Mental Health CEO Paul Creedon said if Bedford were to close, those it employed could lose their "strong networks and friendships", as well as a loss of independence and "sense of autonomy". "Employment is a significant thing that gives them some sense of self, some sense of identity, that is taken away too easily when this sort of thing happens," he said. Mr Creedon said a closure would also directly affect families and carers who may lose a source of respite. "If your son or daughter, brother or sister is now in their 30s, 40s or 50s and employed at Bedford and all of a sudden they're no longer employed at Bedford and [don't] get the services that are associated with that … those parents who are in their 60s, 70s, 80s, and all of a sudden they're having to care for someone." Janet Miller said she was "very concerned" about the impact the current uncertainty was having on the people Bedford supports. Discussions will continue over the weekend between state and federal governments, Bedford, its bank, and potential administrator McGrathNicol. Peter Malinauskas said the state government was "able to put some financial support on the table to see if we can't buy some time" ahead of the board's deliberations regarding administration on Sunday, but also said he did not "want to just sign a blank cheque". "We want to invest, we want to support, we want to contribute to the cause of Bedford's ongoing operations, but we have to make sure it's with a clear focus of a sustainable future," he said. "Now, if that can't be achieved, then we have to find an alternative option and that is to support those workers in the event that administration is entered into, which is ultimately a decision exclusively for the board of Bedford." On a federal level, Mark Butler said it was "not the position of government to hand taxpayer funds" to the management of an organisation that had "got their organisation into this level of financial strife". But he said the state government had held a "productive meeting" with Bedford that, if all went well, would "buy us some time" and "arrest the immediate crisis". "To ensure that those South Australians can turn up to work on Monday, most importantly, but also buy us some time to get to the bottom of what has happened here and to work out whether there is a way to get this South Australian icon back on track."
