by Shane Sody

Adelaide Lord Mayoral candidate Rex Patrick has stepped in to expose the bungled State Government process that now threatens dozens of mature trees in your Adelaide Park Lands.

Park Lands supporters gathered on Saturday 24 September to raise "Hands Up for Your Trees".

Rather than a "protest" it was billed as a rally of support; both for your Park Lands, and also support for a new Aquatic Centre on an alternative near-city brownfield site, close to public transport; a site that would not require the destruction of any trees.

Being interviewed for TV News (Left): APA Deputy President Ingrid Wangel and her mother, former Olympian Denise Norton-Wangel and (Right) Lord Mayoral candidate Rex Patrick.

News coverage on ABC-TV, Channel 7 and in the Sunday Mail focussed on dozens of mature trees that face the axe here in Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2).

However, in the lead-up to the rally, Lord Mayoral candidate Rex Patrick had already embarked on an effort to find out what due diligence, if any, the State Government has undertaken on any alternative sites.

His Freedom of Information request will reveal whether the State Government has given any consideration to the overwhelming public feedback to support Park Lands and support a brownfield site for a new Aquatic Centre. His FOI application to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport has referred to the list of alternative potential sites suggested by APA earlier this year.

Rex Patrick was one of many City Council election candidates who attended the Hands Up for Your Trees rally.

Other City Council election candidates who attended, included

• Central ward candidates Hugo Siu, Ben Ayris, and Fiona Hui.

• Area Councillor candidate Janet Giles (Anne Moran was an apology)

• North Ward candidates Phillip Martin and Valdis Dunis

• South Ward candidate Keiran Snape

• and one of the other Lord Mayoral candidates, Vivek Gupta

Candidate selfies at the rally! (from left, Fiona Hui with APA President Shane Sody, Keiran Snape, Valdis Dunis)

What can you do?

• Read more here: www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/new-aquatic

• Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/save-these-trees-choose-a-brownfield-site-for-new-aquatic-centre

• Write to the Premier, Peter Malinauskas, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Tom Koutsantonis and/or the Member for Adelaide, Lucy Hood. Click on their names to open a draft suggested email.

• Share this web page with your friends;

• Share our ‘We call Bullshit’ leaflet (PDF, double-sided A4, 570 kb).

• Contact candidates for the City Council election and ask them where they stand on this issue.