by Ian Milroy

Why is it that both our major political parties consistently fail to recognise the major contribution that our globally unique Park Lands make, towards the economic development of the City of Adelaide and therefore of South Australia? (No other city’s Central Business District is entirely encircled by Parks).

To secure economic development, Adelaide is in competition with many other cities to attract and retain successful enterprises. It’s well known that a key factor for an enterprise in making location decisions is to be able to recruit and maintain the morale of high quality personnel.

In this regard, we have an important advantage with our consistently high ranking on the international list of the World’s most Liveable Cities. There is no doubt that our Green Belt of Park Lands, with its woodlands, wild life, recreational facilities and other attributes, is an important contribution to this high ranking.

In 2018 the State Heritage Council made a formal submission to Government, that the Park Lands be protected from inappropriate development, by listing them as a State Heritage Area. That proposal has been blocked by successive Ministers responsible for Planning.

[Editor’s note: The Labor State Government has also voted in State Parliament to block State Heritage listing.]

Ten years earlier, in 2008, the Federal Government had recognised the Park Lands by listing them on the National Heritage Register. The lack of State Heritage listing has made this a futile achievement.

There have also been moves within the City Council and elsewhere to secure listing for the Park Lands as a World Heritage Area. If that were to be achieved, the experience of other World Heritage sites has been a massive increase in income from tourism, yet another example of economic development that our Park Lands would achieve for the City and the State.

There is zero prospect of such a submission being successful without State Heritage Listing.

It is time for our Government, political parties and other organisations such as the pro-development Committee for Adelaide to secure further economic development by collaborating in partnership with bodies such as the Adelaide Park Lands Association, rather than by being in conflict with them.

In 1837 Colonel Light wrote “I have set aside these Park Lands for the recreation and health of the populace”. He might well have added “ .  .  . and for the future prosperity of our township”