Grievance Debate

Brinkworth Reserve

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (15:20): I would like to discuss an event that took place in the electorate of Flinders over last weekend. On Sunday, there was a rally convened at the Brinkworth Reserve. The Brinkworth Reserve is an area of about 19 acres on the outskirts of the City of Port Lincoln, not contained within the city council area but, in fact, contained within the District Council of Lower Eyre. The protest rally was as a result of the National Trust's intention to sell this property.

My involvement with this goes back to when the committee that has been charged with the operation and management of the trust came to see me and indicated that they had received notification from the National Trust (a highly regarded and honourable organisation, I must add) that the intention was to sell the Brinkworth Reserve. My interest in this extends further than that because, in fact, the benefactor for the Brinkworth Reserve was one Mr Ken Brinkworth. Way back in 1926, he and two friends travelled from Kybunga to Yeelanna, on Eyre Peninsula, to make a new life. One of those friends was Mr Alf Trestrail and the other friend was Mr Colin Treloar, who was to become my grandfather. So, our families have been involved for a long time.

During the 1960s, Mr Brinkworth made available an area of land for the enjoyment of the people of Port Lincoln and Lower Eyre Peninsula and, in fact, transitioned the ownership of that land to the National Trust in 1996, along with a sum of some $50,000 to enable the reserve to be managed, which it has been over all of this time. In fact, $35,000 of that original $50,000 remains in trust.

So, it was with some surprise that we received notification from the National Trust that they intended to sell the property. The reason given by the trust was so that they could ensure their long-term viability; in other words, it is all about the money, which makes it particularly sad. I do not altogether blame the National Trust for this because, as we all know, they were once reliant upon significant government funding, along with donations and support from benefactors. But that significant government funding has been withdrawn in total, and what that has done is to put a 40 per cent hole in their budget, so they have had to make some other arrangements. It is a pity, of course, that, with this particular example, they are going very much against the original intent of Mr Ken Brinkworth and his family that the reserve be held in perpetuity for the enjoyment of not just the people of Eyre Peninsula but also of the entire state.

It also goes very much against the wishes of the local community, as was demonstrated by the crowd who turned out at Brinkworth Reserve last Sunday. There were over 200 people there, and it was significant not just for their presence but also for the fact that those people and people right around Port Lincoln and Lower Eyre Peninsula are signing a petition at the moment to present to the National Trust to let them know of their discontent with the situation.

I sincerely hope that we can bring a conclusion to this. I have met with the National Trust and they seem intent to go through with the sale. We are hoping that public pressure will cause them to change their mind. I am sure that there are other options with regard to the raising of capital to ensure the survival of the National Trust. I am sure that, failing that, we can come to a proposition from the community that will be agreeable to both the community and the National Trust. We have not reached that point yet, but I sincerely hope that we can.

I do declare another interest in this, and that is that I am a member of the National Trust, as are many members of this place, I know. We consider it a noble and honourable organisation charged with keeping up the natural and historical assets of our state. It was established under an act of parliament in 1955. It does a marvellous job. It is, in fact, the greenest National Trust in the state. It manages over 3,500 hectares of nature reserve, and the Brinkworth Reserve is just one of those. The native vegetation is a sight to behold and it would be a great pity to see it subdivided and go for housing development.

Time expired.