Page 9 - StateoftheOutbackReport2019
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Compiled and presented in profile.id by .id, the population experts.
About us
Outback South Australia is big, about 613380 square kilometres or about 63% of the State. For comparison, this is an
area as big as France and 2½ times bigger than the United Kingdom. But it’s home to only about 3,500 people.
Its size makes the idea of traditional ‘local government’ impracticable so the OCA model is a hybrid between local
government and community self-management by the 3,500 people who make it their home.
The OCA represents - and advocates for - the interests of these people and their families. The OCA’s goal is to
support the many outback communities who want to take control of their own future. For example, the OCA helps with
the provision of water supplies, or invests in ‘municipal’ services like waste collection and town maintenance. We
maintain a network of outback UHF radio repeater towers and a constructed network of outback airstrips to provide
near all-weather 24 hour emergency access, and a lot of public toilets.
Our board is representative of the outback communities. We think outside the square. That’s why the OCA is
prepared to go out and find alternate investment programs and technologies, or sponsor unique and historical
outback events.
Our role is to support outback communities to achieve their goals. In formal terms, the OCA was established by the
Outback Communities (Administration and Management) Act 2009 to manage the provision of, and promote
improvements in, public services and facilities for outback communities. It also has a responsibility to articulate the
views, interests and aspirations of these communities. The OCA replaced the Outback Areas Community
Development Trust, established in 1978, which provided limited services to those parts of South Australia not formally
within a local government area.
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