by Shane Sody
As we count down the days to the State election on 21 March, there is an urgent task at hand.
Political parties and election candidates need to know that you LOVE YOUR PARK LANDS.
You can show that you Love Your Park Lands simply by asking each of your local candidates the questions below.
Politicians are spitting out daily campaign promises like you might spit out seeds from a watermelon.
However, we have yet to hear any promises about how your Park Lands might be better protected in future.
Perhaps those promises might yet emerge. Of course, all promises from political candidates need to be taken with a grain of salt. As long ago as 1936, the satirist H.L. Mencken described election promises as “nine times out of then, worth nothing.”
Nevertheless, asking questions now will put candidates on notice that your Adelaide Park Lands matter, to you, as a voter.
On Sunday 8 February 2026, we sent the following questions to each political party; not just the major parties, but all of the minor parties as well.
You can use them too, putting them to your local candidates. Send each candidate a link to this page, and ask for replies to some or all of these questions.
The Adelaide Park Lands are unique in the world and have National Heritage status, yet many people, even in Adelaide, seem unaware of their rarity. What, if anything, should the SA Government do to address this?
The Adelaide Park Lands are being gradually eroded and there is no effective mechanism to halt or impose a limit on the extent of losses. The Adelaide Park Lands Act 2005 has been ineffective at preventing continual losses of Open Green Public Space to development.
If elected, what type of amendments to the Act would you initiate or support to provide real Park Lands protection?
The City Council and others are developing a bid for UNESCO World Heritage recognition of "Adelaide and its Rural Landscapes" (i.e. for the Adelaide Park Lands and the rural settlements of the Mt Lofty Ranges). The City Council has been advised that World Heritage Listing would result in a 20% to 30% increase in international tourism.
The bid would require State Government support. If elected, how will you assist in advancing this World Heritage bid?
In recent years, successive State Governments have re-zoned areas of the Adelaide Park Lands, to suit ad hoc proposed developments (e.g. Botanic High School, Festival Plaza, Aquatic Centre) that have eroded or taken over Open, Green, Public spaces. If elected, what would you do to try to limit executive power to erode the Adelaide Park Lands?
The proposed Adelaide Recreation Circuit would be a globally unique, uninterrupted walking, running and cycling trail showcasing Adelaide’s Park Lands. The concept has had past support from Business SA, the Australian Hotels Association, the Property Council, Athletics SA, the SA Road Runners Club, Bike SA, Bike Adelaide, the Kaurna community, and the Adelaide Park Lands Association. If elected how would you assist to bring this concept to fruition?
For bonus points please nominate any site or sites within the Adelaide Park Lands, previously lost to development, where you would support and help us to achieve regreening, rehabilitation, or restoration to Open Green Public.
(For individual candidates for the seat of Adelaide only): What, if anything have you done personally to advocate for, or volunteer with or for the Adelaide Park Lands?
See these questions put together in a document that we have sent to all parties: (PDF: 2 pages, 189Kb).
We’ve requested replies by 27 February; and will be collating and publishing the results - with a how-to-vote recommendation, before early voting starts on 14 March.
If some of the above looks familiar to you, that’s because we went through a similar exercise four years ago, just before the 2022 election.
When we are considering our how-to-vote recommendations for 2026, we will take into account both:
the promises made in 2022, some of which have been ignored, forgotten, or neglected; and
actions taken over the past four years.
