by Shane Sody

Despite declaring a "climate emergency" only weeks ago the State Government has shown it’s still captured by the anachronism of combustion engine motor racing, at the expense of your Open Green Public Park Lands.

The State Government has decided to use your tax money to subsidise a four-day festival of combustion engines each year until December 2026 and pave over even more of your Park Lands.

Premier Peter Malinauskas was not swayed by the 2,280 signatures on our petition.

The controversial decision means that the northern half of your Open Green Public Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) will be enslaved to motor racing detritus for several months each year, from now until Christmas 2026.

In the months before and after the event each December, a large part of your Park will be off limits, unless you are an on-site construction worker.

An ongoing community initiative to increase tree canopy and re-green parts of Victoria Park has been dealt a blow - not just from the return of the disruptive motor sport event, but by plans to extend bitumen and concrete cover over even larger parts of this Park.

One positive (for Victoria Park) is that the return of motor racing has forced the relocation of the COVID-19 drive-through testing station, which was set up in Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) more than two years ago at the start of the pandemic.

But the relocation does not result in any net benefit to your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands. This is the new site for the COVID testing station, from 1 July.

What the State Government is NOT saying

The State Government has NOT revealed the extent of taxpayer subsidy for holding the annual motor sport festival in your Open Green Public Park Lands. This year’s State Budget included $18 million to run this year’s event, with an additional $3 million set aside to buy back infrastructure sold off by the former government. However the full extent of the subsidy remains "commercial in confidence".

NOR has the State Government:

• quantified the losses that will be caused to eastern suburbs residents and businesses, from the disruption caused by road closures during the leadup to the event;

• explained how this motor sport festival is consistent with Adelaide's 'National Park City' status; nor

• explained how promoting a festival of combustion engines is consistent with its declaration of a climate emergency.

What about the City Council?

The City Council is powerless to prevent this, because State legislation over-rides the Council's Community Land Management Plan for this Park.

Councillor Keiran Snape says for him, it's a double disappointment:

"We have a large community push to re-green Victoria Park, to help mitigate the urban heat island effect caused by excessive tarmac, and now the race organisers want to significantly increase the size of the tarmacked pit area, reducing green space. This flies in the face of those community efforts.

“In addition to this, the State Government has also reneged on their election pledge to increase accessibility to Victoria Park by decreasing the set up/pack down times.”

What of the future?

A renewed campaign to free up Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) from enslavement to combustion engines commences immediately.

Our target is to ensure that when the State Government's foolish five-year commitment expires, in the next electoral cycle, it is not tempted to repeat the mistake. It will need a loud, powerful and consistent community voice to free Victoria Park from 2027 onwards.