House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale BAROSSA VALLEY AND MCLAREN VALE Mr BIGNELL House of Assembly Mawson BAROSSA VALLEY AND MCLAREN VALE Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Urban Development, Planning and the City of Adelaide. Can the minister inform the house about the work he is doing to introduce new legislation to protect the McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley regions? The Hon. J.R. RAU House of Assembly Enfield Deputy Premier Attorney-General Minister for Justice Minister for Urban Development Minister for Tourism Minister for Food Marketing BAROSSA VALLEY AND MCLAREN VALE The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Urban Development, Planning and the City of Adelaide, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Food Marketing) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for his question and I would like to say at the outset what a great effort he has been putting in over some time to draw to the attention of people the very great importance of the— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. J.R. RAU House of Assembly The Hon. J.R. RAU: —McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley regions. Earlier this year, the Premier announced that we were going to take steps to protect the McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley areas. Since that time, we have been in consultation with the communities there and we revealed last week draft maps setting out the areas that will be preserved. Conversations are now about to take place with those communities and councils, in particular, and the groups with which the honourable member is associated, about exactly what the details of those maps will be. We are very interested in knowing what sorts of activities are going to be absolutely prohibited from being conducted in those areas and also what sorts of activities those communities want to see as enhanced opportunities for their communities from the point of view of economic development. I want to make it clear that the intention of the government is that there is only one prohibition that we intend definitely to have in those provisions, and that is a prohibition against urban subdivision. What happens otherwise is going to be a matter for discussion between the government and the communities in terms of prohibited activities and in terms of activities that are going to be proceeding, we would hope, with a quicker approval process. We want to have that discussion with those communities. I, of course, am very interested in seeing activities relating to tourism and hospitality being favourable activities there, and I know, certainly in the McLaren Vale region, there is a need perceived by the people there and around the place that there be more accommodation, similar to the accommodation that already exists in the Barossa Valley. That process is going now over the next six weeks or so. In due course I will get back to the honourable member and to the parliament and advise what the result of that consultation has been. I encourage those members who, like the member for Mawson, have a big interest in this—the member for Schubert, in particular—but, if you have views about this, you should be engaging with your community and talking to your local government people, and let us know what you think about it.