Adelaide Parklands

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): My question is to the Premier. Does the Premier regard the Parklands as elitist and not of interest to people living in the outer suburbs?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:24): I love the Parklands here. They are a very special attribute to the city that we have, the most livable city in the world. They are certainly something that we need to protect and something that we need to look after, but there are also times when we need to make sure that we have appropriate development on them—for example, Lot Fourteen.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Those opposite when they were in government sold off that property there—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —effectively sold it off, entering into a very long-term lease on that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for West Torrens!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I was saying, those opposite effectively sold off Lot Fourteen for an extended period of time. They wanted to put 1,300 apartments—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Playford is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —on the Parklands. By contrast, what we are doing with that fabulous seven-hectare parcel, previously the site of the Royal Adelaide Hospital—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Playford!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —is of course to develop I think one of the most exciting urban renewal precincts in the entire country, which has already created more than 1,500 jobs on that site. So I think there are practical things that we can do, but the Parklands are a unique feature of Adelaide and they have served purposes in the past. For example, the Parklands house a school, a cemetery. They house, of course, our—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —current Royal Adelaide Hospital, our former Royal Adelaide Hospital and soon they will house the new Women's and Children's Hospital, so practical uses while still preserving the beautiful parklands environment—

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Playford!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —that we have in Adelaide.