Media release · Monday 31 August 2026
Coober Pedy locals are in Adelaide this week with their own plan on the table and a message that could not be much plainer: our town already does the work of a Far North hub. It is time South Australia formally recognised it and helped it do the job that it needs to do.
A volunteer delegation of 10 residents and community representatives, brought together by Coober Pedy Together (CPT), will meet Ministers, Parliament, Government House, agencies, industry and strategic partners from Monday 31 August to Thursday 3 September. They are carrying a four-page residents’ vision, Coober Pedy Affirmed as the Hub of Far North South Australia, built around one clear policy decision and ten practical foundations.
This is not a council strategy, an election pitch or a request for someone in Adelaide to come up and save the town. It is a plan from people who live here - Aboriginal leaders, business owners, volunteers, families and local advocates who know the hard years, know what is already moving and know how much more is possible if the State stands behind them.
COOBER PEDY DOES NOT NEED TO BE INVENTED AS A HUB. IT NEEDS TO BE AFFIRMED - AND ENABLED TO SERVE THE WIDER FAR NORTH, WITH THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT IT NEEDS TO DO SO.
Coober Pedy is the Opal Capital of the World and a place found nowhere else. It is also the practical jumping-off point for stations, the APY Lands, remote communities, tourism routes, mines, workers, visitors and essential services across a region measured in hours, not suburbs. Residents say the town cannot keep being planned only by population numbers when its real job reaches far beyond the town boundary.
Residents acknowledge that successive governments of different political persuasions have tried to find a way through Coober Pedy’s long-running challenges. After more than seven years under administration, they say it is time for an enduring answer built with local people - governance that fits this place, a fair and properly supported local authority, and a whole-of-government position every agency can work from.
On the ground, affirmation would mean practical things people can feel: help available around the clock; an airport people and services can rely on; homes for essential workers; a school with modern technology, fit-for-purpose buildings, broader learning and teachers prepared for remote and culturally responsive practice; tutoring, Indigenous-led programs and local apprenticeships; training that leads to real work; places to connect and age well; and sport, music, arts and activities that bring Coober Pedians together.
There is plenty to build on. CPT is working with property developers to create new two- and three-bedroom homes for essential workers. Adelaide Fringe has been in Coober Pedy in 2025 and 2026 and will return in 2027. SA Film Corporation is supporting a local film and production framework. Local action teams are progressing Community and Collaboration and Healthy Ageing Hubs, while the opal industry, Drive-In, a multi-day food, music and culture festival, Opal Way tourist drive and destination-level experiences offer a South Australian story nobody else can tell.
The delegation is not asking every person it meets to fix everything. It is asking one practical question in every room: what part of this plan can you help move? CPT wants regular meetings after the delegation returns home, clear contact points and a shared, timed action plan built with local people.
The volunteer delegation will be available for interviews in Adelaide throughout the visit. Residents say they are making the trip in their own time because they love their home, they are tired of Coober Pedy being seen only through its problems, and they want South Australia to see the colour, capability and opportunity already in the ground.
‘Umoona Community Council is part of this town and part of its future. Our young people need to see opportunities here, our culture and Country need to be respected, and local people need a real say in decisions. We are going to Adelaide to sit at the table, work together and make Coober Pedy stronger for everyone.’ Dean Walker, Chair of Umoona Community Council.
‘Coober Pedy is home. We have had a few rough years, but that is not the whole story. Dig a bit deeper and there is colour everywhere - in the opal, the people, the ideas and the opportunity. We are not asking anyone to rescue us. We are asking them to back a town that is ready to give it a red hot crack.’ Daniel Measey, Facilitation Group Member, Coober Pedy Together.
‘Running a business up here, you learn pretty quickly that distance matters. When the airport is unreliable, workers cannot find a home or basic services are thin, everything gets harder. Get those foundations right and Coober Pedy will do what it has always done - get on with the job and create opportunities.’ George Boussios, Business Owner, Coober Pedy.
‘We are not bringing a shopping list to Adelaide. We are putting a residents’ plan on the table and asking Government and partners to stand behind it. Affirm Coober Pedy as the hub, keep meeting with us and build the action plan with the people who live here. There is hard work ahead, but there is plenty here worth backing.’ Jacqui Boland, Facilitation Group Member, Coober Pedy Together.
The delegation will carry the same message into every room: Coober Pedy is not asking South Australia to invent a new role for it. The town is asking the State to recognise the role it already carries, back local people and help turn a home-grown plan into visible progress.
AFFIRM COOBER PEDY. BACK THE HUB. LET THE FAR NORTH GROW FROM HERE.
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Contact:
Michael Edgecomb
Facilitator, Coober Pedy Together
0421 389 490
The Coober Pedy delegation will be in Adelaide and available for interviews from Monday 31 August to Thursday 3 September 2026.
About Coober Pedy Together:
Coober Pedy Together Incorporated is a local, resident-led association working to create connection and unearth possibility. Led by a local facilitation group and action teams, CPT works with residents, Aboriginal organisations, government, industry, services and partners to turn community ideas into practical action. Its work is guided by The Coober Pedy Plan 2024-28.