Leigh Creek services guaranteed for three years
The State Government has guaranteed services to the embattled Leigh Creek for the next three years, in a bid to provide “certainty” to a community facing the exit of the coal mine that has spawned and sustained the far north town.
Alinta Energy has confirmed the closure of its operations in Leigh Creek and Port Augusta by March 2017 at the latest, a move that threatens to decimate the 500-strong population.
The Weatherill cabinet this morning singed off on a plan to continue provision of government services, including the hospital, school, ambulance and police station, until at least July 2018, “at a level commensurate with the town’s population”.
Manufacturing Minister Kyam Maher said in a statement the community had demanded “clarity” about its future.
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“Some residents of Leigh Creek have told us they’d like to stay in the town, while others from surrounding communities say they would look at moving into the town, subject to the availability of housing for sale or rent,” he said.
All housing in the town is currently owned and leased by Alinta.
“Towns such as Copley and Lyndhurst rely on Leigh Creek for the hospital, school and other services, so those communities now have some certainty for the next three years.”
He said authorities would now consider an “appropriate footprint” for Leigh Creek and options for future management.
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