PARKS COMMUNITY CENTRE

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Planning but, before posing that question, can I pass on my best wishes for his birthday, and to my friend for his birthday yesterday. Will the minister please inform the house of the progress made on the upgrade of the Parks centre?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:50): I thank my learned friend the member for Colton for that question. This week I had the pleasure of attending with the Premier as he turned the first sod on the works to deliver a new centre for the Parks community. A $28.7 million upgrade of the community centre is under way. The planned upgrade was the result of extensive consultation involving more than 650 people. It led to a report from the Social Inclusion Commissioner, Monsignor David Cappo, in April 2011.

The community input was absolutely essential to this process. Centres like the Parks play a very important role in healthy, safe neighbourhoods, and they certainly play a very important role in the lives of local families. I know, as the member for Enfield, that the Parks Community Centre is held in very high regard by the people who live there. Mr Speaker, I believe that in the not-too-distant future even your constituents will be very close to the Parks Community Centre.

The centre originally opened in 1979, and the original high school site dated back to the 1960s. Redevelopment means that for the first time the community will have a purpose-built centre. The new centre will include two swimming pools, new soccer pitches, upgraded facilities, refurbished theatres and new health, retail and housing opportunities. It has been staged to ensure that the new pools will be open by next summer.

The community has changed significantly in the Parks area over recent years, and the upgrades will support and complement these changes in the demographic and the community in the Parks area. This will be a centre that the community can be proud of and interact with into the future rather than a reflection of the past. Groups affected by the works have been provided with information about suitable alternative options and assistance with relocation.

The Premier and I had the pleasure of meeting Ron from Toymendous on Monday. This group does great work, and he told us that they have been very pleased with the way that the Parks team has worked with them and they are now happily ensconced in St Paul's where they are working away. He informed us that they had donated some 1,000-odd toys to worthy causes recently, so it is great work that they do.

The works will be carried out over several months, and the new centre will be opened progressively as the work is completed. Mr Speaker, so that you can familiarise yourself even more with this great project, further information is available on 1300 002 033 or by visiting www.infrastructure.sa.gov.au.