No promises from Minister
by Shane Sody
Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Nick Champion, should be reminded of your Adelaide Park Lands every time he enters his King William Street office.
He’s received a framed poster featuring iconic images of your Park Lands, like the ones you find on our #adelaideparklands #picoftheday social media feeds .
We hope he’ll display the poster proudly to encourage his office visitors to Love Your Park Lands.
Planning Minister Nick Champion (left) receiving a framed Adelaide Park Lands poster from APA President Shane Sody, and Deputy President Ben Ayris (right).
On Wednesday 17 April, APA Deputy President Ben Ayris and I visited Mr Champion in his tenth-floor office to pursue issues that were raised six months earlier, when we met the Premier, Peter Malinauskus.
There had been no progress on these issues since our meeting with the Premier on 26 September 2023 so we were disappointed that Minister Champion could offer no more optimism than the Premier had done.
Nevertheless, we continued out advocacy for your Park Lands, and in particular offered Minister Champion three suggestions to improve his Government’s commitment to your Park Lands.
In particular, during the 45-minute meeting, we pushed for three things:
FIRST: A full review of the Adelaide Park Lands Act 2005, which has proved totally ineffective at protecting your Park Lands;
The Act that does not protect your Park Lands. Planning Minister Nick Champion did not commit to, nor did he rule out a wide-ranging review of the Act.
SECOND; a feasibility study into the proposed Adelaide Recreation Circuit, a proposed unbroken cycling/running/walking loop, around the entire Park Lands;
Like the Premier six months earlier, Mr Champion was interested to discuss the idea of the Adelaide Recreation Circuit, a proposed unbroken cycling/running/walking loop, around the entire Park Lands.
Billed as “a globally unique vision for the city of Adelaide” it has widespread support from business and sporting bodies, but no funding commitments, yet.
The proposed “Adelaide Recreation Circuit”
Before the 2022 State election, the SA Labor Party promised to “investigate” creating this circuit, but again, like the Premier before him, Mr Champion was not able to give any assurances about whether the Government would actually support funding for a feasibility study.
Read more about the proposed Adelaide Recreation Circuit.
THIRD: the State Government’s unfulfilled 2022 election promise to “restore full protection” to Helen Mayo Park in your Park Lands.
This area of Helen Mayo Park (within the yellow triangle, and marked in light blue) is crying out for restoration, and re-greening.
Part of Helen Mayo Park has been sacrificed to accommodate a City Council works compound. It could be restored to Open Green Public, but it’s still zoned ‘Entertainment’
Despite its election promise to “restore full protection” to this Park, the State Government has left this area zoned “entertainment” which leaves it susceptible to future usages that would not be consistent with Open Green Public Park Lands.
Read more here: https://www.adelaide-parklands.asn.au/blog/2022/12/7/helen-mayo-park-the-threat-remains
Mr Champion offered to investigate this matter, and we await further developments.
The Minister also offered the opportunity for further, regular meetings with the Adelaide Park Lands Association, an offer we would certainly want to take up, to continue pushing these and other issues on behalf of your Open, Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.