by Shane Sody
The SA Motor Sport Board, with the support of Premier Peter Malinauskas, is about to dig in for another few months of disrupting access to your Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) while glorifying carbon emissions.
Refusing to acknowledge public disquiet and complaints, this year’s disruptive Park Lands works, legally authorised over more than five months (3 September to 8 February) will again become a stark reminder of the State Government’s outdated view that your Park Lands must be subservient to a commercial interests, and carbon emission motor racing.
The “declared area” for “prescribed works” takeover from 3 September 2025: a decrease of just 3%, compared to 2024 but an increase of 4% compared to 2023.
The Motor Sport Board recently advised Kadalilla/ the Park Lands Authority that its occupation of your Park Lands in 2025, would be for a slightly shorter duration; and cover a slightly smaller area than in 2024. However both the area claimed, and the duration of the works to be undertaken are both larger and longer than in 2023:
Image: Kadaltilla/ Adelaide Park Lands Authority agenda; 26 June 2025.
This advice provided to Kadaltilla/ Adelaide Park Lands Authority on 26 June reinforces the Motor Sport Board’s persistent refusal to look at any other sites to hold annual motor racing.
Taxpayers are subsidising this festival of carbon emissions, and you lose not just the racetrack area, but also large sections of your eastern Park Lands, from Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka (Park 14) all the way through to the southern part of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16).
The Motor Sport Board’s “occupation schedule” for 2025. Image: presentation to Kadaltilla/ Adelaide Park Lands Authority 26 June 2025.
As we’ve previously reported (11 February 2025) the Motor Sport Board does not, or has not:
evaluated or quantified the negative effects of this event, such as time lost to traffic congestion, noise, health and environmental impacts, and the cost of damage to Adelaide's reputation as a "National Park City"';
responded to questions seeking a log of complaints about the event;
ruled out seeking approval to install permanent buildings in your Park Lands; nor
ruled out additional motor sport events in your Park Lands, such as off-road “Rallycross” in addition to the dirt track “sprint cars” racing that was added to the carnival last year.
Sprint cars - returning in November 2025 to fenced-off areas within King Rodney Park / Ityamai-itpina (Park 15 of your Adelaide Park Lands.
A dirty law - an anachronism
The word “anachromism” may be defined as “a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old fashioned.”
Being 41 years old, the South Australian Motor Sport Act 1984 is an anachronism. Among other things, it fails to acknowledge the climate crisis.
An anachronism: A 41-year-old law that always over-rides your Open, Green, Public Park Lands. This Act was legislated before we all became aware that Open Green Public spaces improve public health and even save lives.
This year the annual motor sport carnival has a new sponsor: the fossil fuel company BP, effectively shining a spotlight on the gap between South Australia’s 2022 declaration of a climate emergency, and the State Government’s warm embrace and promotion of climate-damaging carbon-emission motor sport on your Park Lands.
The State and Federal Governments are bidding to host, in Adelaide, a 2026 world conference of parties to discuss the climate crisis.
But the same State Government continues using taxpayer dollars to glorify internal combustion emissions that are worsening the climate crisis.
Cognitive dissonance: a State Government making decisions at odds with its stated intentions.
The author of this article, Shane Sody, is the immediate Past President of the Adelaide Park Lands Association, and the editor of the semi-monthly newsletter, "Open Green Public".
Subscribe here.
https://adelaideparklands.m-pages.com/YWRrGW/adelaide-park-lands-assn-mailing
