IT MAY be a case of ‘too little, too late’ this time around, but South Australia has appointed a cross-border commissioner in the wake of a mountain of issues raised by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Liz McKinnon will take a wealth of experience in local community and industry with her as she takes up the title of South Australia’s first cross-border commissioner.

Ms McKinnon was officially appointed to the role last Thursday, 8 December and will be the South Australian government’s official voice for communities affected by inter-state issues.

“I am really honoured to be the first South Australian cross-border commissioner,” she said.

“(The role) gives cross-border communities such as Casterton an opportunity to come together and raise their issues.”

Having grown up on Victoria’s side of the border in Dartmoor, Ms McKinnon has had a significant impact on both sides of the border with various leadership roles and other community endeavours.

Her past work includes a background in journalism and working as a media advisor for former South West Coast MP and Victorian Premier, Denis Napthine.

She was also previously the Glenelg Shire Council’s economic development and tourism manager for around five years.

Ms McKinnon serves as the executive general manager of the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub and for the past few years was a board member for Regional Development Australia’s Limestone Coast branch.

“I used that role to progress cross-border issues,” she said.

She also chairs the Casterton Memorial Hospital and has been heavily involved with the Dartmoor Giants netball.

The role of a cross-border commissioner addresses the issues which affect towns and communities near state borders, such as differences in regulations and licences, as well as opportunities for inter-state co-ordination on the likes of tourism offerings.

Casterton is the largest Victorian town within 50 kilometres of the South Australian border, while towns such as Dartmoor, Nelson and Edenhope also access services they themselves do not have from larger South Australian towns, which are closer than Victoria’s rural centres.

Mt Gambier is around a similar distance from Casterton as Hamilton but has more than three times the population, with many services which would otherwise be as far away as Horsham, Warrnambool or even Ballarat.

The town also benefits from tourism which comes from across the border, while the Casterton-Sandford Football Netball Club relies on being able to cross the border as the only Victorian team remaining in a South Australian/Victorian cross-border competition.

Victoria has had a cross-border commissioner since 2018 in Luke Wilson, to advocate for the same issues for communities along the state’s border with South Australia and New South Wales.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, communities were impacted by border closures and restrictions, which at times left many unable to travel from Victoria to South Australia or required them to seek a permit to travel, even for work, school or supplies.

While Mr Wilson had a counterpart in New South Wales to co-ordinate with across the more populated northern border areas of Victoria, the lack of one in South Australia meant he had to work with the state’s government in Adelaide to voice Victorian community concerns about border restrictions.

Ms McKinnon said he had been “instrumental” in advocating for Victorian border communities.

In the absence of a commissioner in South Australia, the plight of communities along the border was pushed forward by the Cross Border Call Out Facebook page, which was set up by Apsley local Paula Gust in 2020 to provide updates on border restrictions and has since amassed close to 8000 followers.

The appointment of Liz McKinnon has had positive reception on the page with comments calling her a “great appointment” and the “perfect person for the job”.

Her appointment meets one of the key criteria which was requested by border communities and included in amendments made to the bill for a cross-border commissioner, which expected an appointment to the role to have lived experience within a cross-border community.

She will be based in Mt Gambier – the largest South Australian town near the state border – during her tenure, but has said she will be travelling through communities on both sides of the border to hear their concerns and experiences firsthand.

“I want to spend a lot of time out on the road, meeting with community leaders,” she said.

“The most important thing in this role is listening to people.

“They’re all going to have views on what needs to be addressed.”

South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas said Ms McKinnon’s appointment marked the delivery of a key commitment to the regions from the state’s government.

“We are committed to support to our regional communities through finding practical ways to create better economic and wellbeing outcomes,” he said.

“I am looking forward to working with Liz in helping to improve the lives of our cross-border communities.”