Planning Policy

Ms SANDERSON (Adelaide) (15:12): A supplementary, so you can keep going, of course. Does the minister agree that 10 apartments on 535 square metres is high density?

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for MacKillop is called to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (15:12): Compared to some remote regional areas I suppose that would appear to be dense but compared to most of Adelaide it is not very dense. Compared to Kowloon it is extremely not dense: it is an open park. It is all relative, isn't it?

I do appreciate the opportunity to get back to Churchill Road, Mr Speaker, because when I was last talking to you we were taking that sentimental journey down Churchill Road. These apartments are very nice. If you are driving past, they have a green bit on the side of them. They are very attractive buildings. These two-bedroom apartments were actually put out at about $300,000 for a brand-new, well-appointed, two-bedroom apartment, and they went off like hot cakes. They went out the door straightaway. This is happening all over that area. People want to live closer to the city.

People are looking for a choice in housing types. Not everybody wants to live in a three-bedroom brick veneer Tuscan-Georgian something 75 kilometres from the CBD. Some people—many people—do not live in four person households. Many people live in single or dual person households. They do not want four and five bedrooms, or three bedrooms, on 700 square metres, either. This is a fantastic opportunity for people to come and live in the city of Adelaide, where they can have the privilege of being represented by the member for Adelaide and, understandably, they are flocking there. It is an attractive part of the city, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Or on Churchill Road, represented by your good self.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No, not that bit of Churchill Road, but the other bits, yes. I think we need to just calm down a bit about what is high and low density and use terminology properly. There is nothing going on in the City of Prospect which by any remote definition fits into the category of high rise or high density.