The Wire

The struggles facing the people of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara lands in northern South Australia have brought national attention to the scourge of petrol sniffing over the last twelve months. The South Australian coroner publicly urged for change and since then the state government has struggled to make its involvement work, the first administrator resigning before he began; then Co-ordinator former Senator Bob Collins seriously injured in a car crash. The joint co-ordinators now working with the Pitlands, are widely respected Indigenous Professor Lowitja O’Donahue and World Vision Chief Tim Costello. But change is coming to the AP Lands in another form. Non-compulsory weekend elections run by the Electoral Commission saw a record voter turnout to choose an Executive for the Lands Council. The neck and neck poll saw Gary Lewis ousted by a mere six votes, and a former Chairman, Bernard Singer installed. Mr Lewis says he wants an inquiry into the way the voting was done. Talking in Mr Singer’s second language, English, the Wire asked him about his vision for the Pitlands.