A $500,000 taxpayer-funded grant linked to a failed childcare development in Naracoorte remains publicly unaccounted for, even after the state government announced a fresh $12.7 million investment to tackle the town’s worsening childcare shortage.

Naracoorte Lucindale councillor Craig McGuire has challenged his fellow elected members to ask residents whether spending about $760,000 on three Naracoorte Creek weirs represents value for ratepayers.

A major showdown over rare earth mining is looming in Naracoorte, with residents, farmers and businesses urged to turn out in force for a town forum amid growing concerns over the region’s land, groundwater, and future.

South Australian families will no longer have to pay public school fees from 2027 under new laws aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures and making public education free from reception through to graduation.