GLENTHORNE FARM

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:53): Can the Premier please tell the house what the state government is doing to preserve open space in Adelaide's south?

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:53): I am disappointed that not every member is here today. The state government has declined a request from the University of Adelaide to set aside a section of Glenthorne Farm for housing. The university had requested that some of the farm near O'Halloran Hill in Adelaide's south be redeveloped to fund its woodland recovery initiative.

I understand that previously there had been plans for a sort of working vineyard and then a climate change institute. We have declined this latest request and have instead offered to work with the university to find alternative sources of funding for its aim to reafforest the property to create native woodland.

Glenthorne Farm holds a special place with the community in the southern suburbs, as well as the wine making industry at McLaren Vale. In 2001, Glenthorne Farm, the former CSIRO research facility at O'Halloran Hill, was handed over to Adelaide University by the state government for use as a vineyard and winemaking facility. The former state government (and I want to pay tribute to former premiers of the time), under, I think, former premier Olsen, purchased it from the commonwealth in 1998, after the CSIRO's decision to leave the site.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: I understand they had monkeys there. The proposal put to the state government by the university failed to meet the terms of the deed and land management agreement signed at the time of the transfer in 2001. Our view remains that the land was transferred to the university on the basis that there would be no housing on the site and that it would become a teaching and research centre for the wine industry.

The university proposes to reafforest 150,000 hectares of woodlands in the Adelaide hills face, a concept which obviously would have considerable merit. We have written to the university's vice chancellor offering to work with his staff to identify alternative funding through research grants that can finance the woodland recovery initiative without requiring any of the land to be sold off for housing.

We strongly support the retention of open space within the metropolitan area. We remain committed to ensuring that the pressure to develop land within the urban growth boundary is balanced by the retention of sufficient public open space for community use.

I am delighted with this government's decision. That may surprise some, but I know that there has been considerable pressure and there is some support from some quarters to see portions of Glenthorne Farm's open space developed for public housing.

I do not support that and neither does this government. This is a stunning resource for the future. We as a state government are planting three million trees in a series of urban forests throughout the metropolitan area. I think that we have planted well over 1½ million trees, and we are on our way towards two million trees.

I think this would be a splendid site for one of our urban forests. I do not want to see this land carved up for housing, and I am sure that I will have the support of all members of parliament in saying this.