Both major political parties seem to be doing their best to lose the marginal seat of Adelaide at the State election, due next March.
Neither Premier Steven Marshall, nor Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas appears to have done his homework to find out about the growing swell of public support for Adelaide's Open Green Public Park Lands.
Each of the two leaders has made a public commitment that, if elected, he would authorise an attack on Adelaide's world-unique resource.
Mr Malinauskas has committed an incoming Labor State Government to restoring an anachronistic invasion of internal combustion engines that would keep the public out of a large part of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) for about five months of every year. His retrograde embrace of old polluting, climate-damaging technology is totally out of place in the world's third-most liveable city.
ALP candidate for Adelaide, Lucy Hood, is well aware of how this toxic commitment will cost her votes among Adelaide residents, and how many signatures are being gathered on a petition urging the ALP to re-think its strategy.
The south-eastern corner of Adelaide, including Victoria Park, broke free of its motor racing burden in 2020, and a residents committee has been formed to try to restore this Park from the grip of its remaining motor sport detritus. This group will be campaigning hard, in the leadup to next year's State election, to ensure that the fumes, noise and disruption do not return to this part of your Open Green Public Park Lands.
Premier Steven Marshall also seems tone deaf to the value of Adelaide's unique Open Green Public Park Lands. His election pitch is an even worse threat - to destroy Helen Mayo Park (Park 27) with a $700 million stadium.
The Premier’s leaflet, which fails to mention that his target site is part of your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands
State Government research indicates that the cheapest option for a larger stadium is to extend or rebuild the existing Entertainment Centre at Hindmarsh.
However Mr Marshall risks losing the marginal seat of Adelaide, and ending the career of local member Rachel Sanderson by pushing ahead with his dubious plan to bury Helen Mayo Park and dispose of this area of your Open Green Public Park Lands. He is also spending taxpayers money to distribute leaflets which fail to mention that his targeted site is part of your Adelaide Park Lands.
Sooner or later, one of the major political parties will realise that there are votes to be won by being the party in favour of Open Green Public spaces.
Here are the contact details for each of the key people in this story
Peter Malinauskas laborleader@parliament.sa.gov.au
Steven Marshall premier@sa.gov.au
Rachel Sanderson adelaide@parliament.sa.gov.au
Lucy Hood Lucy.Hood@alpsa.org.au
