Government House Precinct Land Dedication Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 19 November 2015.)

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (11:22): This is a welcome piece of legislation, if not somewhat overdue. It is going to amend the Government House precinct land dedication by an act of parliament, which is required. I was very interested to be at Government House last night, where one of my constituents, Wendy Higgins, was inducted into the Women's Honour Roll. I congratulate Wendy and her family on that; it is an amazing thing.

I was interested to look out of Government House across to the eastern boundary. There is a temporary fence up, the screening is up, and there is already a great big piece of earthmoving equipment in there. We have not approved the legislation yet.

Can I just remind the house what former governor Kevin Scarce said at a Proclamation Day ceremony at Glenelg, down in my electorate, about this government. He said that there are three things wrong with this government: there is no ministerial accountability, the executive ignores the parliament, and the public service has been highly politicised.

While we on this side are so strongly supportive of this particular development, I just need to point that out, because I have seen over my time in this place so many times that we are just seen as a rubber stamp. I know the Attorney-General went on for many years about us being a rubber stamp for the COAG. This parliament is not just a rubber stamp at the whim of the Premier and ministers.

I do not want to move away from the fact that this is a very good project. This project is going to allow the construction of a memorial walk, or an avenue of honour—it has been called a whole lot of things, but I think the official name is the ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk. It is a very valuable addition to the whole range of memorials we have across South Australia to remind us of the over 100,000 South Australians, I think it is—the minister might be able to correct me—who have been to war on behalf of this nation, this state and their communities.

It is really quite heart-rending to go to some of the smaller communities around South Australia to look at the monuments and read those half a dozen or dozen names from the 1914-18 war. The hole that was created in those communities is something we should never forget. That is why this project is one that is going to help everybody remember the supreme sacrifice that has been made by so many South Australians over the years.

The project is funded by a number of sources, including $3 million from the state government and $5 million from the federal government—and I had great delight in not quite twisting the arm but perhaps a Chinese burn is more like it on the wrist of the then federal minister for veterans affairs in Canberra a few years ago. I said, 'This is a project you need to back,' and he gave me great comfort in saying that the $5 million that the federal government was in for was going to be provided. Mr Lindsay Fox, through one of the philanthropic organisations that he is involved with, played a great part in raising that $5 million. So there is $3 million from the state government, $5 million from the federal government and also the Adelaide City Council has the final contribution of $2 million.

The walk itself will go from the southern end at North Terrace, where the National War Memorial is, along Kintore Avenue. It is going to take up 10 metres of Government House land down to the Torrens Parade Ground. The Dardanelles memorial is currently situated over at South Terrace and Goodwood Road and was put up by the violet ladies in early 1915 to commemorate the courage and remember the deaths of those soldiers from South Australia who died in the Dardanelles. The Dardanelles is the strait between mainland Turkey and the Gallipoli Peninsula. It was not known colloquially as Gallipoli then, or the Gallipoli campaign, and ANZACs had not been coined as a term, but it is the Dardanelles memorial that is there. I think that will be a very fitting monument to go down at the other end of this memorial walk.

I understand there has been a little bit of discussion about how much land was going to be used. Initially, I think there was a bit of an ambit claim for 40 metres, but it has come back to 10 metres. That does not affect the lawns at Government House at all. It does not affect the use of Government House. It does not affect the ambience for the number of ceremonies that we all go to over there. I had the pleasure of being at the St John Ambulance awards there the other day with a number of members from this place to recognise the effort that is put in by St John Ambulance volunteers. That event was on the lawns on the eastern side of Government House, and that will not be affected at all by this project.

The monuments that are to be placed along the memorial walk are not for individual sections or battalions—I know the minister will be able to speak more on this—but for particular campaigns. As I understand it, it is not about individuals but it is going to be about particular campaigns. I think it will surprise South Australians the number of campaigns we have been involved in. I have said it before and I will keep saying it, as long as I am the shadow minister for veterans affairs, representing this place and as a proud South Australian: we should never, ever forget the sacrifices that have been made over many, many years, whether it was in the Boer War, the Crimean War, World War I, World War II, Korea or Vietnam—so many conflicts where South Australians put themselves in harm's way for this country.

This is a good project and I look forward to it being completed. We had Sir Eric Neal speaking at a function I was at last night. Sir Eric was talking about this project and he has been one of the driving forces behind it, as Chair of the Veterans Advisory Council. I understand he is staying on until the project is finished. Last night, he was telling me that the hope of everybody is that it will be finished for ANZAC Day next year. I hope it is.

We talk about the centenary of ANZAC (1915-2015), but this project is also about the centenary of World War I. It is a good project; it is a great project. In this place you see a lot of argy-bargy. The kids come in to watch question time and they think that we are at each other all the time. That is not the case. In veterans affairs and many other areas, disability, Aboriginal affairs, there are a number of areas where if you cannot be bipartisan about those sorts of issues, what can you be bipartisan about? This is one area where I can say without any doubt that there is complete bipartisan support for these projects where we remember our veterans. With that, I hope the bill passes very swiftly through both places.

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (11:30): I rise to speak on the Government House Precinct Land Dedication Bill 2015 and in doing so disclose that I am a member of the Defence Reserves Support Council and a former member of the Torrens Parade Ground council. Let me first address the project which this bill is attempting to legally accommodate, namely, to remove the entitlement of the subject land to be within the domain of the Governor to accommodate a project which has been outlined.

It is not the project I personally would have picked as an ANZAC centenary event. However, I recognise that a lot of wise heads have got together in relation to this and money has been committed. My greatest disappointment is that, whatever our centenary project is, it should have been done and implemented and available in the centenary year. I find it quite disturbing that, as a state, we are behind the times there. However, it is going to happen. As the lead speaker, the member for Morphett, has pointed out, roadworks are underway, the bulldozers are in and it is all ready to happen. I do not think the Public Works Committee process has been completed in the parliament, nevertheless, we are quite used to that with this government.

I bring to the attention of the house the original 1927 act, which was an act to dedicate and reserve for all time certain lands as the Government House domain and as a site for a national soldiers' memorial. It has had some encroachment over the years. For example, as members are probably aware, in addition to the soldiers' memorial site on North Terrace, which is defined under this act, there is provision for the sanctity and protection of trees that were grown there to recognise—I think during Governor Roma Mitchell's time—the conflict pre World War I (I think a member of her immediate family served during World War I). There is a French connection there and that has been immortalised in the growing of trees.

From time to time, we need to recognise that this is the house of the Governor, the Queen's representative. It is also an act to protect certain memorials that have been established. All of that is good. I would like to know as to how the land then vests, whether it remains crown land in title or whether there is to be any proposed transfer of title, because once it is out of the domain (under the act) the way I see it it is up to the government to deal with it as it wishes. I would hope that it is going to remain in crown ownership but with some kind of protection over it. We are not passing an act to keep it protected for all time, we are passing an act relieving the protection of the government domain. I want that assurance from the government, that I do not come back in my retirement in 30 years time—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: That long?

Ms CHAPMAN: That long, yes.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: How old will you be then?

Ms CHAPMAN: I am just warming up.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Wrong question from the chair.

Ms CHAPMAN: Let me say that I do not want to see a block of flats alongside Government House. If the government is genuine about ensuring that this is a place that will remain a dedicated area, then so be it. However, the way I read the bill—and I may be wrong—is that it is going to be removed. It is not going to be added in to the site on North Terrace which is also currently protected under the domain legislation.

The other matter I raise in relation to process is that in reading the submission to the Public Works Committee it seems pretty clear to me that the purposes of this legislative process, as well as doing the walk, is more about the government connecting the city car parks with the Riverbank than it is about securing a dedicated road as a memorial area. I want to say that if it is the government's intention to have a walk which is going to be dotted with recognition and memorials of particular campaigns to which we have made a contribution in these conflict events as South Australians then I totally support them in doing so but I do not want to see a situation where we are going to have blue paint, pop-up bars, whatever else outside of ANZAC Day along this dedicated walk. So, I make my position quite clear on that.

At the moment, we have on ANZAC Day and important memorial events at the site on North Terrace effectively a closing of the road, people walk down after the service at dawn and we have some celebration usually on the Torrens Parade Ground, and that is an important part of those activities. I do not suggest for one moment that the government is going to interrupt those but there are another 364 days a year (or 365, depending on whether you are in a leap year) on which they can.

I want this to be a place of significance, a place recognising the centenary and a place of dedication to those who have made a contribution and, way past the current minister who has a personal history in this field. Any other donkey could hold his position in the future, and I want to make sure that this legislation is not going to be used as a party place for this government in the future and not be sold and not be taxed.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (11:37): I rise to speak to the Government House Precinct Land Dedication Bill 2015 and note that this bill is to dedicate a portion of land from the Government House Precinct to become part of the site for the ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk. It has been acknowledged that these grounds have been legislated under the Government House Domain Dedication Act 1927. This bill when it becomes an act—and I am sure it will because the bulldozers have already moved in so we probably have to get the legislation to catch up to the works—will reflect the new boundary that is 10 metres west of its current location.

This project has been approved since early last year and it will symbolically link the state's principal site of remembrance, the National War Memorial on North Terrace, with the Torrens Parade Ground and the Pathway of Honour. The link will obviously signify remembrance and that is symbolised by the National War Memorial service symbolised by the Torrens Parade Ground—and this is the site from which many South Australians in the past have left to serve the nation at war—and loyalty symbolised by Government House.

This project is tri-funded, and there happens to be $3 million from the state government and $5 million approved from the federal government, contingent upon the Adelaide City Council's $2 million commitment. This ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk has been the preferred project for the Veterans Advisory Council to commemorate the centenary of ANZAC in South Australia. It is a unique opportunity to create a commemorative space in the heart of Adelaide and its memorial precinct. It certainly does represent a once-in-a-century project to complete harmony with the City of Adelaide, surrounding memorials, parks, gardens and the River Torrens, and I think it certainly will when it is completed be a flagship project that will benefit every South Australian and honour the ANZACs and all other service men and women who have served this great country. It will obviously contribute greatly to strengthening pedestrian connections between the city and the Riverbank.

The ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk will be located close to many of Adelaide's key landmarks and destinations. It will extend from one of Adelaide's main north-south pedestrian routes, Gawler Place, and connect strongly with Adelaide's most lively streets. It will also reinforce the identity of North Terrace as the cultural boulevard of Adelaide and open up a strong connection between the city and the River Torrens.

I note that previously this project has had the support of and been approved by the Public Works Committee. I am very pleased—and it is probably only because the work started before the legislation process—that the work has started on this project in the centenary year of ANZAC as we commemorate all the service men and women, the many hundreds of thousands who have served over the years and the many tens of thousands who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for us to enjoy the lifestyle we do in this great state and this great nation.

It is not just those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Certainly the returned men and women who suffer what is sometimes seen—well, it is not seen but unseen trauma—as post-traumatic stress disorder and similar illnesses pay a lifetime penalty. After service men and women have come back from various conflicts, it has been noted that many deaths have happened because they could not cope with life afterwards. I think we treated our Vietnam veterans more than shabbily after their service for this country, and some service men and women who have returned from the wars in the Middle East of recent times have also paid a high price that in the main is unseen.

As I have indicated in this place before, my brother served for 23 years and became a warrant officer at the end of his career. He served in Rwanda and Iraq, and he does not seem too bad, but I guess you never know. Certainly, I am aware of friends of his who, having managed to get past the military psychological doctors and perhaps do one tour too many, have suffered and ultimately the stresses of having served have cost them their family and, in some cases, their life. We do need to pay a great homage to the people who have served our country in any way, shape or form—whether it is here in-country or overseas, it is all an essential part of service to keep this state and this great nation safe.

In all the time I have been growing up there have been various troubles around the world. Currently, issues with Islamic State are again creating a powder keg in the Middle East, but this has essentially gone on for decades since World War II, and well before World War II there were plenty of issues in the Middle East. I praise our present service personnel for all their activities in regard to what they are doing in this world, and there would be a lot that we do not know about.

There are the guys who are unseen on the ground who are doing great work we never hear about—usually the SAS—and that is the way it should be. We do not need to know what they are doing, but I can assure you that they are keeping us safe and doing great work. They cannot even come home and talk about where they have been, and they cannot talk about it when they leave. It is that exemplary service that keeps this country safe.

We also have at least one naval vessel in the Middle East, and we have pilots flying there who do eight-hour runs and so they have to do mid-air refuelling. The skies are getting very busy in the Middle East around Syria and Turkey, as we saw the other day with the downing of a plane from Russia. I am sure—and I hope so anyway, and I am sure they have—that the communications are worked out between all the countries whose pilots are flying in those spheres so that everyone can know where everyone is and act accordingly so that they can all stay as safe as possible in the skies. Yes, it is a war zone, but we do not need unintended consequences with the number of different countries that are involved in this war against IS, which includes our traditional allies as well as Russia's heavy involvement that has come in recently.

In regard to this bill, I think that this is a great idea that has happened here. I salute in my contribution the present Governor, the Hon. Hieu Van Le. It is interesting when you talk about his wartime experience when he was in Vietnam and how genuine he is about thanking the diggers for the very reason he and his wife are where they are today. It is a very moving story.

He is a great man. I met with him many times when he was the Lieutenant-Governor, and I commend him for his service. It just shows that there is opportunity. It does not matter where you come from, and many people in this great state should look to Hieu Van Le and realise what they can achieve in their life and, because of that, I think we would have a much better state and country.

I salute his support for this project and let's see that we can get it up and going because, obviously, there is not much of the centenary left of ANZAC. However, obviously, there will be commemorations for the next three or four years, especially in regard to the centenary of World War I—and it is a commemoration not a celebration because we lost over 100,000 service personnel who paid such a huge price.

I had a great uncle serve then and I have had uncles serve during conflicts ever since. As I said, my brother served for 23 years. We should never forget that just because you cannot see, perhaps, a physical injury or acknowledge someone's death from serving this country there are many demons out there. I salute all our service men and women.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:46): I rise too to speak on this precinct land dedication bill. As a member of the Public Works Committee, I have watched with interest the progress of this project come to the table. As the member for Bragg has said, it is a project that is well warranted. It is a project that should have been a part of the Adelaide City landscape some time ago.

Some projects are underpinned by emotion, some projects are underpinned by a lot of points of view and a lot of interest groups, governments and the like, but this ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk is, I think, a walk that will complement the existing memorials that are already in place in the streets of Adelaide, particularly around Government House.

As I understand it, this bill will give authority for the realignment of the boundary so that the boundary can be moved, that 10 metre boundary movement. The works authority has already been given through the Public Works Committee, and, as I understand it, that is why the works have already commenced, and this is just about now giving the authority for the realignment of that boundary. Obviously, there have been initial plans put in place, initial drawings, concepts and different materials, and those different interest groups have always had different points of view.

The initial proposal was about a 40 metre boundary change, and that has been amended to the current 10 metre boundary movement, which has been endorsed by the current Governor, Hon. Hieu Van Le, who is quite proud of just what will be achieved on the ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk. I have noted that this project has been approved by the Public Works Committee. It did take a significant amount of negotiation, I think, for not only the current minister but also previous ministers and departments as well as, as I have said, the interest groups. I have seen the artist's impression of what the project will look like.

It features an interpretive wall made from local black granite, depicting Australian society through a century of conflict, and it is an open blade fence. Obviously it will maintain the privacy that Government House deserves, so it will not be a see-through or a walk-past fence to be able to look at Government House, but what it will do is give a sense of privacy both inside the grounds and on the walk. The interpretive drawings that I have seen I think are very fitting and they really do depict what this walk is about.

The fence along Government House on the Kintore Avenue boundary will have impressive features. The memorial will pay tribute to the 102,000 Australian servicemen and women who lost their lives in conflict. As the member for Hammond said, it is not just about those people who made the ultimate sacrifice with their life in conflict, it is also about the people who returned with stories of conflict and scars, and what that conflict meant to them and what it has done to their lives and the impact it has had on their families and friends, and, just as importantly, it is about reflection.

This walk has been designed around three pillars of symbolism: remembrance, service and loyalty. I think that is quite fitting. The creation of the ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk is a unique opportunity. It has been described as a once-in-a-century project to have a memorial in the heart of Adelaide in the city's memorial precinct close to other landmarks. The memorial will assist in improving our understanding and awareness of Australia's wartime history and it will act as a lasting tribute to the South Australians who served our country in the armed forces, many never returning.

In closing, I also would like to pay tribute to the younger generations who in a lot of ways have not been impacted directly by conflict, but who are carrying the legacy of those people, their forebears, who paid the price—whether they were involved in conflict, whether they were home being a part of a service industry, or whether they were at home just comforting loved ones who were under severe pressure knowing that their husbands, their relatives, their loved ones were over there fighting for freedom and democracy for this great country. I think the dedication is needed for our younger South Australians, because they will carry the legacy and memories for future generations to come, and they will be the ones who will live that memory for the many who lost their lives.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (11:53): I thank members for their contributions. Can I particularly thank the shadow minister for ensuring the opposition's fulsome support for the measure. It is appreciated by veterans and by the three levels of government involved: federal, state and local. Can I also thank the members for Hammond and Chaffey for their contributions, genuine as they are; and I know they care very earnestly for the veterans in their electorates.

Some points were raised by the member for Bragg. If I may, I am not sure if it is the wish of the opposition to go into committee, I will try to pick up the points that she has raised. Firstly, she made the point that it would have been nice if this had been completed in time for the 100^th anniversary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli in 2015. I agree with her: it would have been ideal.

When I became the minister for this portfolio, I found that this project had encountered a number of difficulties. It is a very complex project. It involves the approval of the federal government and their funding. There are processes that need to be followed there. It involved local government: the City of Adelaide. They have other ambitions for the precinct, and at various points during the process of negotiating this project it started to become more than it was intended to be. It started to become more of an urban renewal project than a veterans memorial walk, and I had to deal with that.

Then, of course, there were a number of agencies involved within state government, all of which had to be consulted—heritage, environment and transport. There were a number of agencies that had to be consulted. Finally, and most importantly, Government House was involved intimately. As members will find when they form government, when you have that many agencies involved, it requires quite a lot of delicate negotiation and that partly explains why the matter has taken a little bit more time than one might have hoped. In the midst of all of that, veterans themselves needed to be closely embraced.

Can I make the point that the Veterans Advisory Council needs to be commended, and I note the shadow minister has made that point. Sir Eric Neal, everyone on the VAC, the broader veterans community, the RSL, and other veterans associations, all of whom have been involved, need a pat on the back for the way they have approached this whole thing. Given the number of stakeholders, I think that partly explains why this project is here with us today. The important thing is to get it right and not to rush it. One of the first steps I took as minister was to ensure that we slowed this process down and got it right, rather than rush into it in a hope to meet some deadline that was self-imposed.

The other point raised by the member for Bragg had to do with whether the true object of this exercise was to link up car parks, I think she said, in the city with the Riverbank precinct. I think it is pretty clear from what has gone to the Public Works Committee and what has been put before us that that is not the case. There would have been interests, particularly in local government, that might have liked to have seen this project become more of an urban renewal endeavour, but that is not what the project was conceived to be and I have resisted those from the outset as minister and made sure that we have kept to our knitting and got back to the basics of what this was intended to be, because these projects can easily go beyond scope and that often pops up and presents new challenges.

The member for Bragg also raised concerns about whether pop-up bars and inappropriate activities would be held in this precinct. I would refer her to a reading of the bill because the answers to her questions are contained in the bill itself, particularly clause 5 which makes it very clear that:

The care, control, and management of the ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk land is vested in The Corporation of the City of Adelaide.

The City of Adelaide will have control of the precinct. Of course, preceding that, clause 4 makes it very clear that the land identified in the bill:

…is dedicated for the purpose of being used as a site for an ANZAC Centenary Memorial Garden Walk and for incidental purposes, and the land is reserved for all time for those purposes and must not be used for any other purpose.

I think that is made clear. Again, in clause 6, the other question that was raised had to deal with title over the land. I think that is adequately dealt with in clause 6 where it makes it clear that:

…the Government House Domain land continues to be land dedicated for the purpose of being used as a site for the residence of the Governor and for incidental purposes, and the land continues to be reserved for all time for those purposes and must not be used for any other purpose.

I think it makes it clear that the intention is that this be a memorial garden walk and that the council will have control of it to a degree, but that the overall ownership of the land remains with the Governor. I hope that the member for Bragg has comfort that those concerns have been dealt with.

Can I say that, apart from the VAC and Sir Eric Neal (as chair of that body) needing hearty congratulation, I would also like to congratulate the veterans agency and Mr Rob Manton, who leads that agency, and his team, who have put endless hours into this. I also would like to thank DPTI and the officers of DPTI, who will have construction control and management of the matter, because they have been extraordinarily helpful. I would like to thank my colleague the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure and his team for their support.

I also want to thank Public Works Committee—the hardworking Public Works Committee, of which I was a member for a very long time. It is probably the hardest working committee in parliament, certainly far harder working than some of those other restless committees like Economic and Finance Committee, who do not do very much.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! No reflection on other committees.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Of course—thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for pulling me up on that. I thank the Public Works Committee for their swift passage of this matter because I think that is very helpful indeed.

A number of members have raised the issue of privacy and security at Government House. I want to assure the house that the Governor is happy with the arrangements that have been entered into. I would also point out to members that from the White House, which is quite open and exposed, to Government House in Western Australia and the executive residence in Darwin and various other governors' residences which are extremely open to viewing, this is by no measure a compromise in any way of the security and privacy of Government House. I think it is quite a reasonable measure.

This is going to be a memorial walk. It is a memorial for all veterans. It will not be a memorial where individual regiments or battalions stake their colours and have individual memorials, as we see in other parts of the city. It is a memorial for all service men and women and also the families involved, remembering that this tragic story of World War I had an aftermath that affected very many families for very many years. It is going to be a wonderful commemoration of great sacrifice, but I think it will also lift up a wonderful part of the City of Adelaide.

I remember, when first becoming an MP, wandering along Kintore Avenue, whilst I was doing my MBA at the University of Adelaide, looking at that fairly unattractive street and thinking that one day we need to fix this street and make it all that it could be. I think that, through this gift from the people of Australia as a commemoration of World War I, we will achieve that goal, which is to make Adelaide an even more beautiful city for the descendants of those who served while, at the same time, commemorating those who paid the ultimate price.

In concluding, I again thank the opposition for their support. We do hope to see this pass through the parliament before the recess, if possible, as work is underway. If that is achievable in the other place, that would be a great thing and I think it would be welcomed by veterans everywhere. With those remarks, I close the debate and commend the bill to the house.

Bill read a second time.

Third Reading

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (12:03): I move:

That this bill be read a third time.

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (12:03): I would like to thank Mr Rob Manton from Veterans SA for his contribution and the way he has worked with the opposition, particularly with me, during this project, and I look forward to being there when the ribbon is cut or whatever we do.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (12:04): I thank the shadow minister for his third reading remarks. As the bill comes through all stages, I want to finally, on behalf of the government, thank His Excellency Hieu Van Le. The Governor has shown outstanding leadership with this project. He, better than anyone, understands the suffering of our veterans, having fled, in terrible circumstances, a country that Australian soldiers sought to protect. Without his support and guidance, this project and bill would not be before the house. The government thanks him on behalf of all South Australians and veterans for his contribution to this wonderful commemoration.

Bill read a third time and passed.