House of Assembly Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1) 54 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Grievance Debate Flinders Chase National Park Flinders Chase National Park The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL House of Assembly Mawson The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (15:28): Today, I joined about 500 people from around South Australia on the front steps of Parliament House to rally against changes that have been put in place to a proposal at Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island, which this year celebrates its centenary. When we were in government, we built what is considered a world-class walking trail through that part of Kangaroo Island. We did it with the support of locals from the Friends of Parks. Along that trail we put campsites, with rainwater tanks and sinks and camping bases as well. While we were there, we walked not far from those sites, about 300 or 400 metres through some of the scrub, back across the trail, and saw where the proposed eco-friendly glamping tents were going to be put in place by the Australian Walking Company. Since that time, things seem to have changed, with the proposal now for more solid structures to be built at very environmentally sensitive places, at Sandy Beach and Sanderson Bay. They were not in the original concept plans that were put up and that we saw. As I said, these camping spots were meant to be within the bushland that is in this pristine part of Flinders Chase. The added concern that people have on Kangaroo Island is that there will be an additional three kilometres of roadway through the park to get people to and from these places at Sandy Beach and Sanderson Bay. On top of that three kilometres of roadway, there is apparently going to be an extra seven kilometres of spur trails. These are questions I put to the Minister for Environment in a very polite letter on 17 December last year. That is 10 weeks ago. I still have not had a response to any of those questions. I think that is pretty ordinary because you should not be just responding to me in my letter. I was actually writing on behalf of constituents, and we had 500 constituents— The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS House of Assembly The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: Point of order: the member for Mawson asked you not to respond to him, when actually I think he was referring to me. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Yes, could the member for Mawson please address all remarks through the Chair. Thank you. The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL House of Assembly The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Take a petty tiggy touchwood point of order because the minister knows that he is doing a very ordinary job. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Let's get on with it. An honourable member House of Assembly An honourable member: I think you're getting under his skin. The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL House of Assembly The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I think I have got under his skin. He has sold out the River Murray. He has sold out the people of Kangaroo Island. His agency now says it is an economic driver agency rather than an agency looking after the environment. Of the 500 people out on the steps there were about 50 from Kangaroo Island, but there were 450 people from around South Australia who have had enough of this new government and how it wants to trample all over the sensitive vegetation and upset the lives of animals— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL House of Assembly The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —that inhabit the pristine parts of this state. The people I wrote on behalf of want an answer, and they want an answer from the Minister for Environment. When I was a tourism minister, we supported projects like this. We gave a grant to the Australian Walking Company. We put $8 million into upgrading the Kangaroo Island airport. We put several thousand more into private companies on Kangaroo Island so that we could upgrade the tourism that South Australia has to offer. Let's remember that we took the visitor economy in South Australia to record levels. We are not scared of offering people good accommodation, but it has to be in the right place. The Friends of Parks on Kangaroo Island also want this accommodation to be in the right place—not up on the top of a very environmentally sensitive clifftop and beach. The people of Kangaroo Island and the Friends of Parks right around South Australia would just like some answers. As I said, I wrote a polite letter on 17 December—10 weeks ago. Since then, we have seen the Friends of Parks in the western end of Kangaroo Island and also on the Dudley Peninsula go on strike. They have withdrawn their services to parks that they have maintained for decades because they are so upset about the apparent changes to this proposal. As I said, people were onside with the original proposal for these eco villas to be built within and close to the existing Kangaroo Island walking trail that was built by our government, which is seen to be a huge success. What they are not happy about is building on pristine coastline that should be preserved forever.