Hopes have been raised that federal intervention might be possible, to protect your Park Lands from a series of State Government attacks.
Key advisers to Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek have been on a fact-finding mission to your National Heritage-listed Adelaide Park Lands.
From left: Ted Baillieu (Chair, Australian Heritage Council) Joanna Wells (Conservation Council of SA); Shane Sody (President, Adelaide Park Lands Association); and Elizabeth Vines (Adelaide-based member, Australian Heritage Council). Pic: Yanyan Hong.
The Australian Heritage Council is the body that advises the federal environment minister on protection of National Heritage assets. Your Adelaide Park Lands are one of only 120 cultural places across Australia with National Heritage status.
Chair of the Australian Heritage Council, Ted Baillieu, started his two-day visit to Adelaide by talking to ABC Radio Adelaide Breakfast program, with David Bevan and Stacey Lee:
Listen to the 8-minute interview:
During his two-day visit, Mr Baillieu scheduled meetings with community groups including the Adelaide Park Lands Association and the Conservation Council, as well as with Kaurna elder Jeffrey Newchurch, local resident John Bridgland, as well as the Lord Mayor, Jane Lomax Smith and State Government representatives.
Mr Baillieu says the Australian Heritage Council takes protection of the Adelaide Park Lands very seriously.
“We’ve been at pains over the past couple of years to let the Government know, here, both Governments, of both persuasions, we’ve let them know the regard that we have for the Adelaide Park Lands, and our concern that the Park Lands not be used as a land bank.”
Kaurna elder Jeffrey Newchurch, after meeting Mr Baillieu: “We need to keep these Open Green spaces… for sheer pleasure, for enjoyment, and most of all for peace of mind.”
The Australian Heritage Council will be preparing formal advice to Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, so the Minister can decide whether or not to veto State Government projects that she regards as potentially damaging the National Heritage values of your Open, Green, Public Adelaide Park Lands.
Since being elected in March 2022, the State Government has planned or carried out five attacks on your Park Lands. These attacks include a new high school building on Park 11, a proposed new hospital on Park 27, a multi-storey car park in Kate Cocks Park, and a $135 million two-storey aquatic and commercial centre on your Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2).
Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek. Will she intervene to protect your Park Lands?
Many Adelaide residents have already contacted Minister Plibersek about these attacks.
The mail she’s been receiving is one of the factors that prompted Mr Baillieu’s Adelaide visit.
Ms Plibersek’s office says it’s been in contact with the South Australian Government: “to remind them of their obligations and requirements under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 for the proposed development.”
Ms Plibersek has chosen not to intervene yet, because her office has been expecting either the State Government or the City Council to “refer” their plans to her. It appears that neither the State Government nor the City Council has done so.
North Adelaide’s John Bridgland prepared this submission to Minister Plibersek in relation to the State Government’s proposal to build a $135 million, two-storey megalith Aquatic and commercial centre on your Park Lands. (PDF, 9 pages, 1.64 Mb)
Mr Bridgland has urged Ms Plibersek to use special Ministerial powers to “call in” the Aquatic Centre project, and declare it as a “controlled action” that would adversely affect the National Heritage values of your Park Lands, not least because of the loss of dozens of mature trees.
If and when Minister Plibersek makes that declaration, there will be only 10 days available to respond to the Federal Environment Department, at their website.
Although the State Government has taken this initiative, there is still a role for the City Council to play, because the State Government’s chosen site is on Park Lands that are under the care and control of the City Council.
Will the Council agree to hand over the site to the State Government? The Council decision is due to be made by the end of September 2023.
Read more
See our ongoing coverage of the proposed new Aquatic Centre:
Gathering evidence for federal intervention (30 August 2023)
Aquatic Centre: Win-win option getting traction (12 June 2023)
On 6 March 2023, we joined hundreds of others in lodging a formal objection to State Government plans to re-zone Denise Norton Park / Pardipardinyilla (Park 2)
Government to chop falcon, possum, cockatoo habitat (27 Jan 2023)
Aquatic centre double press: Gov’t and Council (15 Jan 2023)
Aquatic centre: petition reaches 1,000 signatures (20 Dec 2022)
Cognitive dissonance on your tree canopy (4 Dec 2022)
Ideal brownfield opportunity (29 Nov 2022)
Diversions, illusions on Park attacks (12 Nov 2022)
Demand brownfield building sites instead (28 Oct 2022)
Patrick’s FOI probe on Aquatic Centre bungle (26 Sept 2022)
Hands Up for your Trees (12 Sept 2022)
New Aquatic Centre site targets dozens of mature trees (5 Sept 2022)
No assurances on tree destruction plans (15 Aug 2022)
When given a real choice (31 July 2022)
Aquatic centre consultation farce (22 July 2022)
Hindmarsh, Brompton, for an Aquatic Centre? (30 June 2022)
Olympic swimmer backs Park restoration (29 June 2022)
Imagine a restoration of this Park (20 June 2022)
State Gov’t tree threats making national headlines (16 June 2022)
Think Outside the Box for locations (26 May 2022)
Aquatic mistakes - learn from history and restore a Park (16 Feb 2022)
