National Parks

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Water. Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is building what matters by investing in South Australia's parks and reserves of the state?

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Minister for Environment and Water) (14:54): I particularly thank the member for Narungga for that question, because—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat. The member for Playford will leave for the remainder of question time under standing order 137A.

The honourable member for Playford having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The minister has the call.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS: Thank you, Mr Speaker. It is a great disappointment that the opposition does not want to hear about our record investment in our national parks, and it is probably because they are ashamed because they drove them into such a state of disrepair over their 16 bleak years in office when our national parks were so forgotten, ignored and let to fall into a state of disrepair.

Of course, that does not only have conservation and environmental detriment associated with it, it also is a significant problem for economic development in regional South Australia because we know that if our national parks have a certain level of amenity which encourages people to go along and enjoy them and have a pleasant, high quality experience in and around them, those people will spend more money, they will stay longer, they will return, they will recommend that friends and family should visit those areas as well. And because the vast majority of our national parks are located in regional South Australia, of course that means people spending in local service stations, buying souvenirs along the way, eating out and paying for accommodation.

Investing in our national parks is great for conservation and it is great for our natural environment, but it also has a very important economic contribution to make to regional South Australia in particular. We've got so many great national parks across our state from one corner to the other: on Kangaroo Island and its wilderness areas; in the outback; and on our beautiful peninsulas—the Yorke Peninsula, the Eyre Peninsula, and the Fleurieu Peninsula. These are places that we want people to go to, and that is why the Marshall Liberal government's 2020 budget—really, our COVID-recovery budget—is putting parks at the heart of that recovery, because we know we can get that bang for buck when it comes to investing in our national parks.

The member for Narungga asked me specifically about the latest round of Parks 2025. This is our investment strategy for parks. We announced the first tranche of money, more than $20 million towards parks announced earlier in the year in March off the back of bushfires, and now we have added another $17 million, which was announced on the weekend and which is included in Treasurer Lucas's state budget today which looks at how we can make the most out of our national parks in terms of where we can lift the amenity, where we can get the picnic sites, the walking trails and the areas where we can enhance disability access to make our parks as equitable as possible in terms of getting people in there and maximising that visitor experience for all South Australians to enjoy no matter what their circumstances or what walk of life they come from.

In the latest round of investment, we are investing $3 million in the recently co-named Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park, and I will be heading over there on Saturday catching up with the new co-management board led by Doug Milera and talking about what they plan to do to advance the cause of traditional owners around Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park and also to talk about what we can do to maximise the economic benefits that flow from the $3 million we are investing there.

We are investing $2 million in the parks around Eyre Peninsula, and the member for Flinders will be excited to hear that news. We are investing $2.5 million in the Northern Flinders Ranges. The Minister for Energy and Mining will be excited by that news. That is building on the Southern Flinders' $10 million investment announced earlier in the year.

We've got parks all across our state, Mr Speaker. They are an incredible part of what makes South Australia one of the most livable places in the world. This budget is backing it. We are building what matters, and for many, many South Australians our national parks really do matter.