The Government's "Venue Management Corporation" has been dragged into a political fight over your Open Green Public Park Lands, apparently exceeding its powers.
The State Government's controversial proposed "Riverbank Arena" is a Liberal election promise. better described as an election threat to Helen Mayo Park, part of your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands..
Helen Mayo Park (Park 27) - targeted by the Liberal State Government for destruction
The Venue Management Corporation is a Government-owned corporation that has its functions and powers defined by legislation.
It has legal powers to "manage and operate" only its own sites: (i.e. the Entertainment Centre, Hindmarsh Stadium, and the Adelaide Convention Centre).
Its powers do NOT extend to advocating for the acquisition of other sites. Nor does it have power to compel the City Council to hand over any part of your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.
Yet the Venue Management Corporation is now embroiled in political debate by spruiking what amounts to a Liberal election policy to confiscate two and a half hectares (six acres) of your Park Lands.
This stand of river red gums in Helen Mayo Park is at risk from the Premier’s threatened ‘Riverbank Arena”
The Corporation's website features promotional material for the controversial 'Riverbank Arena' project.-
The promotional material includes quotations from business people who anticipate making money from the destruction of what is now Helen Mayo Park - your Open Green Public Park Lands. The material does not acknowledge previous research which identified the existing Entertainment Centre site at Hindmarsh ("Site E") as the most cost-effective location for a higher-capacity indoor venue.
Sites investigated for a new or refurbished stadium. Note the cost of extending or rebuilding at Hindmarsh is less than half the cost associated with confiscating any of your Park Lands sites.
Most significantly, the promotional material fails to acknowledge the land's status as Helen Mayo Park - part of the world-unique Adelaide Park Lands.
The two-and-a-half hectare (six acre) site which overlaps a car park and Helen Mayo Park, both within Park 27.
Premier Steven Marshall, as the Minister for Tourism, has placed the Board Members of the Venue Management Corporation in an impossible position.
Did any member of the Board push back on the Premier's demand? You might not ever find out.
Aligning itself entirely with the Premier's publicity, the Board has unwisely agreed to take a partisan political position - one which is at odds with South Australia's push to become a National Park City.
The Board of the Government-owned Venue Management Corporation. Source; VMC Annual Report 2019-209
The Board has arguably exceeded its legal powers and has aligned itself with the Premier's ill-conceived push to confiscate Open Green Public Park Lands from the people of South Australia.
You can help Save Helen Mayo Park by signing our petition.
