Premier looking for an off-ramp

by Shane Sody

The State Government is holding urgent discussions with the Police Commissioner and others to try to head off growing public anger at its proposed massive attack on your Park Lands for new Police barracks.

The Government is feeling the heat, after a 2,000 signature petition arrived at Parliament House, and the Legislative Council looks set to launch a Select Committee of Inquiry into mis-management of your Park Lands.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Since March 2023, the Adelaide Park Lands Association has been urging Park Lands supporters to contact Members of State Parliament’s Upper House (where the Labor Government does not have a majority) proposing the creation of a Select Committee of Inquiry into mis-management of your Park Lands.

Now it seems that Inquiry will be going ahead. On Thursday 4 May, the Liberal State Opposition gave notice in State Parliament, of a motion to establish a Select Committee of Inquiry. We expect that the Greens, and SA Best will join the Liberals in supporting this inquiry, which means that it should be going ahead, from later this month.

Image: InDaily / Tom Aldahn

Here’s how InDaily reported the news: https://indaily.com.au/news/2023/05/04/push-for-state-govt-park-lands-management-probe/

Petition

During April, Unley City Councillor Chris Crabbe collected more than 2,000 signatures on a petition and on Tuesday 2 May delivered that petition to Parliament House.

The petition calls on the State Government to add your Park Lands to the State Heritage register and to find an alternative site for the SAPOL Mounted Operations Unit that doesn't result in the loss of open green space and impact areas of high biodiversity.

From left: David Pisoni, MP, Jack Batty, MP, Robert Simms MLC and Unley Councillor Chris Crabbe. Pic Chris Crabbe

An off-ramp?

On Tuesday 2 May, the Premier, and other Ministers held a "community forum" at Payneham, described as "open communication between government and community."

From left: Tim Marriage, Tim Mares, Premier Peter Malinauskas, and Deputy Premier Susan Close, pictured at Payneham on 2 May 2023

On the way into the event, the Premier was asked about the Government’s proposed attack on Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W). He said: “we’re doing what we can to move it to a different site. We'd like to get a speedy resolution because [by delaying a decision on the compound] it's causing a delay in the WCH construction and that is costing us money". 

Inside the forum, Planning Minister Nick Champion was questioned by APA Member Ian Milroy about why Labor MPs had voted in Parliament, against State Heritage listing of your Park Lands. A response came from Deputy Premier Susan Close, who repeated the irrelevant diversions made in a letter of 10 January, and gave no assurances about ending the five-year delay in acting on the recommendations of the State Heritage Council.

Illustration of progress so far on State Heritage listing of your Park Lands: www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/heritage

Background - Saving Mirnu Wirra

The State Government has authorised six attacks on your Park Lands in its first year of office (see below) and the Premier has signalled that there will be more attacks in future.

One of those six attacks would be the single largest confiscation of your Park Lands in their 187-year history.

Since March, the State Government has so far defended the Police Commissioner's wish to build a massive eight-hectare security fenced compound on a rare patch of restored biodiversity in Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W).

The proposal is to combine what has historically been a relatively small compound for Police horses (on Park 27 of your Park Lands) with a much larger horse stabling compound at Echunga. The merger would create a huge new secure police workplace on the most biodiverse part of your Park Lands. The eight-hectare area of your Park Lands would have more than a kilometre of fencing and would be larger than Adelaide Oval stadium.

Leaked artist's images show the extent of your Park Lands that would be lost.

Artist’s impression of one corner of a proposed security-fenced eight-hectare police compound, on your Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W)

Looking south, across Golden Wattle Park / Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W) with Whitmore Square and South Terrace in the foreground and Greenhill Road and the Wayville Showgrounds in the background. This is an artist’s impression of how the proposed SA Police compound would dominate what is now part of your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.

Biodiversity

Since 2007, this site in Golden Wattle Park/ Mirnu Wirra (Park 21W) has been lovingly restored by Bush for Life volunteers.

The ongoing 15-year revegetation project has been done so well by Bush for Life Volunteers that the rare chequered copper butterfly {Lucia limbaria) has become re-established here.

The rare chequered copper butterfly (Lucia Limbaria) photographed in April 2023 on the site of the proposed Police compound. Pic: Greg Coote.