by Shane Sody
Hundreds of survey respondents have identified the State Government as the biggest threat to your Adelaide Park Lands.
The survey, carried out in February and March 2024, was advertised on social media throughout Adelaide.
The survey distribution was not confined to Park Lands supporters. In fact, fewer than 14 per cent of survey respondents were members of the Adelaide Park Lands Association.
Survey respondents were asked: “Are you a member of the Adelaide Park Lands Association?”
Nevertheless when asked for the "most pressing issue" for your Park Lands, 47% of those surveyed nominated "State Government treating Park Lands as a land bank for new infrastructure." A further 32% cited "insufficient legal protection" for your Park Lands.
Over the past two years, the State Government has chosen to plunder your Park Lands for a new school, a new hospital, a new multi-storey car park and a new Aquatic Centre.
In each case, the Government has refused to consider any brownfield sites, and has broken promises to consult you, and a promise to protect Adelaide's tree canopy. In the case of the new Aquatic Centre, now under construction, both the City Council and the State Government ignored more than 8,100 petition signatures urging the choice of an alternative brownfield site.
The City Council also ignored 98% of community responses that were in favour of an alternative brownfield site.
In the past few months, dozens of your Park Lands trees have been bulldozed, to make way for some of this new infrastructure.
Even though a Parliamentary inquiry, chaired by a Labor MP last October called for “urgent action on arresting the decline of the urban tree canopy”, the Government so far has refused to listen.
Another attack on yet another Park Lands urban forest (pictured below) is expected within weeks, to clear the way for a multi-storey car park on your Kate Cocks Park off Port Road.
Other survey results
58 percent of respondents advised that they visited your Park Lands at least weekly, if not more often:
This 2024 Park Lands survey endorsed, as this Association's most important role, to "Protect" Park Lands:
Survey respondents said APA activities most likely to get their support would be rallies or demonstrations to show support for your Park Lands; and contacting politicians on Park Lands issues:
What will we do with these results?
The Annual General Meeting of the Adelaide Park Lands Association is scheduled for Sunday 21 April. https://www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/agm-2024
Guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting: veteran Adelaide broadcaster and historian, Keith Conlon
APA Members are encouraged to contact secretary@adelaide-parklands.asn.au to:
put forward motions for discussion or decision at the AGM (by 10 April); and/or
nominate for the managing Committee (by 14 April).
Following the AGM, the newly-elected management Committee is expected to use these survey results and any directions endorsed at the AGM to plan new campaigns and activities to Explore, Inspire, Protect and Restore.
If you are not a member, you can join here to get your voice heard at the AGM.
SURVEY PRIZE DRAW
After the survey concluded on Wednesday 27 March, a random prize draw produced ten winners, who were each advised to respond, to claim a free gift of their choice from the APA Shop.
By 29 March, five winners had claimed their prizes.
Tim Gunn
Peter Herriot
Christabel Saddler
Josie Kirasic
Tim Sylvester
Prize winners could choose any one of these items from the APA Shop
Could you be one of the other five winners? Check your spam or junk mail folder to see whether you have a "random prize draw winner" email from secretary@adelaide-parklands.asn.au
If any winners fail to claim their prize by 7 April, another random prize draw will be conducted so that all ten promised prizes will be allocated.
