GLENSIDE HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:01): Will the Minister for Infrastructure explain why the owners of the Frewville Shopping Centre were given a government undertaking to have the first option to purchase precinct 4 at Glenside Hospital? When I asked the minister on 27 September this year why he had given the owners of the Frewville Shopping Centre that first option to buy precinct 4, he claimed that it was consistent with an original undertaking given by the previous government and that he would provide the letter of say-so. In fact, he has provided the letter, and I thank him for that. It is a letter dated 3 January 2001 and it does not disclose any undertaking to give a first option to precinct 4 but, in fact, clarifies permission to demolish a small part of a heritage wall and the accompanying land to accommodate that.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Energy) (15:02): How does that member get it so wrong? That is not what I said at the time. I said why. The question was why it was being sold to these people. My answer was that an obligation had already been created—I did not say on that precinct 4: I said an obligation had already been created. I note that the member for Bragg is going to a public meeting this evening to tell them how her party opposes the sale of Glenside. Here is the letter from Iain Evans; of course, everyone remembers Iain—he was the leader of the opposition in between—no, that is right, there is one before Alexander Downer, isn't there? It is addressed to Steve Condous. He said:

I refer to your letter regarding the Glenside Hospital wall. I have recently visited the site and decided to support the request of Chapley Nominees Pty Ltd to purchase portion of the Glenside Hospital site and demolish the small...

I have another letter here from Dean Brown—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Yes, to the same thing; they had already agreed to sell a portion of the Glenside site. Of course, I am sure that, when the member for Bragg is at the public meeting tonight, she will not be telling about how their government back in 2001, I think it was—

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: In 2001.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: —in 2001, had already agreed to sell off parts of Glenside to this group. The reason—

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: Or she’ll blame the other faction.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Yes, she will blame the other one. She is instrumental, as I understand it, in the fact that Iain Evans is the former leader of the opposition. But the advice of our people was that an obligation had been created to the Chapleys and one on which they had acted to a degree to their detriment in providing some land to the Department of Transport some considerable years ago. Then they had been very patient in finding that the previous government had not actually acted upon the undertaking they had given them.

When the plans for this site were examined, the advice given to us was that, given the obligation that existed, the best way to deal with this land in the sale was a direct sale to the Chapleys who already had an obligation over a part of the land. That land will be sold to the Chapleys.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: That land will be sold to the Chapleys at market value. Apparently, it is outrageous for us to do it, but it was all right for them to do it. They were going to sell a portion of the land to the Chapleys and not go to tender; we are going to sell a proportion of the land to the Chapleys and not go to tender. Apparently, it is all right for them but not all right for us. You will have to explain that one to me. The simple truth is that, years ago, you created an obligation to those people that you did not meet, and you exposed the state in that regard. Our advice is that the best way of dealing with that land is through a direct sale. I hope the media is at the public meeting tonight. I bet you that we will not hear about this at the public meeting that the member for Bragg is going to tonight about their government plans to sell a proportion of Glenside to the private group. I do not know what you have against the Chapleys, folks, but we—

Mr Koutsantonis: He's a Greek.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Well, it's not a very good day for the Greeks in here, is it? They created an obligation to the Chapleys and that obligation remained undischarged for many years. Our advice is that the best way to deal with this land, given the obligations already owed to the Chapleys, is to deal with them at market value. The South Australian punter will not lose, the Chapleys will not lose; they have waited a long time for you to meet your obligations and, despite your approach, we do meet obligations created by the former government.