by Shane Sody

Cognitive dissonance is a mental conflict that occurs when your actions and beliefs are at odds with each other. You believe something, but act as if you don't believe it.

A Labor-controlled Parliamentary Committee has started looking at how "to improve the resilience and longevity of trees comprising the urban forest."

But will the Committee look at the actions of the Labor State Government?

The Environment Resources and Development Committee is calling for public submissions to its inquiry into Adelaide's urban forest. See the reports from ABC News, and InDaily.

APA will be responding to this inquiry by recommending that the State Government choose brownfield sites, rather than attack your Park Lands for each of its proposed new massive developments.

Dissonance

If the State Government really does believe that it’s important to stop destruction of Adelaide's urban forest canopy, then at the very least, the Government should stop its own plans to attack hundreds of your public trees.

The State Government is proposing to destroy this forest of about 50 river she-oak and olive trees in Kate Cocks Park, to make way for an eight-storey car park.

The State Government is also proposing to destroy dozens of decades-old trees (Aleppo pines, sugar gums and others) with an $83 million aquatic centre on your Denise Norton Park / Pardinyilla (Park 2).

State Government propaganda claims: "we understand the importance of minimising tree and vegetation removal;" and "there will be no net loss of Park Lands" from choosing to destroy dozens of these trees. That’s not cognitive dissonance. We've called out that claim, as a diversion, or illusion. Less charitably, you could call it bullshit.

A thousand people have signed a petition calling on the State Government to choose a brownfield site, such as the old West End brewery site at Hindmarsh, for its proposed new Aquatic Centre. Have you signed it yet?

Even the Labor chair of the Environment, Resources and Development Committee, Labor's Jayne Stinson, doesn’t buy her Government’s own propaganda about planting new trees to replace ancient ones.

Former Senator Rex Patrick has urged the State Government to choose the old West End brewery site for its proposed new Women's and Children's Hospital.

We have written to the Deputy Premier, Susan Close MP (the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water) urging her to follow through on her promise to “protect and restore” your Adelaide Park Lands by choosing brownfield sites for one or more of the Government’s proposed new buildings.

You can make a submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry by 24 February. More details here: (PDF, 4pp, 211 Kb).