Haslam to Bring Government Decision-Making Back to the Eyre Peninsula
MEDIA RELEASE
Date: 2 March 2026
Independent candidate for Flinders, Craig Haslam, has announced a key policy commitment to return genuine decision-making power to the regions, arguing that centralised bureaucracy is failing communities on the Eyre Peninsula.
Mr Haslam said South Australia is the most urbanised state in the country, with too many decisions affecting regional people being made through a city-based lens.
“For years we have seen government services and decision-makers being pulled back into Adelaide”, said Mr Haslam. “The result is a government that has lost touch with the impact of its decisions on the communities it is meant to serve.”
“When the people making the decisions don’t live here, don’t work here and don’t experience the consequences of those decisions, we lose accountability and end up with ‘one size fits all’ policies that miss the mark.” logans.
Mr Haslam said Eyre Peninsula communities consistently demonstrate practical knowledge and effective local solutions, but the current system does not give them the authority or trust they deserve.
“Communities in our region know what they need, and they know what works. What’s missing is a government that trusts local knowledge and empowers them to get on with it”, he said. “I want to see the establishment of legislated Local Safety Boards in high-need communities such as Port Lincoln and Ceduna, with direct funding and clear authority to act.
If elected, Mr Haslam will advocate for more government decision makers to be based permanently on the Eyre Peninsula, with genuine responsibility and the power to act locally.
“Better decisions come from people who are part of the community they serve,” he said. “That means better services, smarter policy and more effective investment. Government should work alongside communities, not from a distance.”
Mr Haslam said decentralising decision-making is essential to strengthening regional communities and ensuring long-term prosperity for the Eyre Peninsula.
