Public Works Committee: RSPCA Animal Care Centre

Mr BROWN (Florey) (11:21): I move:

That the sixth report of the committee, on the RSPCA animal care centre at Glenthorne National Park, be noted.

Established in 1875, the RSPCA is the state's oldest and largest animal welfare organisation. Last year, it cared for over 9,000 neglected animals, rehoused more than 6,000 and reunited close to a thousand families with their animals. Currently, the RSPCA has facilities at Lonsdale, Whyalla Norrie, Port Lincoln and Stepney.

The facility at Lonsdale has been running since the 1970s. Due to its aging infrastructure, it can no longer accommodate best-practice care for animals, nor meet the ongoing need for veterinary treatment of injured native animals. This need becomes especially urgent during bushfires and other emergencies. To address this problem, the RSPCA plans to divest its Stepney and Lonsdale facilities and construct a new animal care centre in Glenthorne National Park. Crucially, the proposed facility would provide our state with its first large-scale hospital dedicated to native wildlife. An education and training centre would be another important feature, allowing expanded wildlife and companion animal care training.

Whilst the proposed animal care centre does not involve the expenditure of public funds, a guarantee for a $6.75 million bank loan would be provided by government. This project is considered a public work because construction will occur on Crown land. The site has been largely dormant since the previous tenant vacated the premises a number of years ago. The RSPCA has been granted a long-term lease, with the following considerations:

two registered heritage places exist in the area, but neither will be impacted by the proposed development; and

the proposed works lie within the bounds of the Kaurna people's native title claim. Kaurna people have played a key role in the direction of this project. RSPCA contractors will be required to have a site discovery procedure in place for the duration of construction to ensure that any currently unrecorded sites are also protected.

Development of this project has involved a five-year process of stakeholder engagement. The RSPCA assures the committee that the organisation has discussed this proposal with the community and has secured broad support. The proposed time frame involves an early civil works package in late 2022, followed by broader civil construction in 2023, working towards completion in mid-2024. The total estimated capital cost is $26.9 million, with all civil and lead contractors anticipated to be South Australian companies.

The committee has examined written and oral evidence in relation to the animal care centre at Glenthorne National Park. Witnesses who appeared before the committee were the member for Davenport, who expressed the community's support for the project; Mr Paul Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer of the RSPCA South Australia; Mr Grant Pelton, Director of Strategic Projects at the Department for Environment and Water; and Mr Jarrod Eaton, Senior Project Coordinator, Department for Environment and Water. On behalf of the committee, I thank the witnesses for their time in presenting the project to the committee.

Based upon the evidence considered, and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public works.

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (11:25): I rise to support the work of the Public Works Committee and their recommendation for this site. The RSPCA animal campus is located in the electorate of Davenport and, as you have just heard, I went along as a witness to that committee to let them know that the community of Davenport are very excited about this project and really keen to see it going up in their own community.

The location is on the corner of Main South Road and Majors Road, which makes absolute sense. It is in the Glenthorne Park precinct, but on the northern side of Majors Road, which means it is not bounded by any residential properties. I would like to also take this opportunity to thank Paul Stevenson, the CEO of the RSPCA, and his team here in South Australia. I have known Paul for some time and have been following this project from the early days when I was Mayor at the City of Onkaparinga. I know that the City of Onkaparinga council and also the Marion council, who often rely on the work of the RSPCA, particularly at the Lonsdale campus, are also really looking forward to this project.

We know that it is going to be much more than just a pound for dogs and cats. This is, as the name suggests, an animal campus. There will be an animal hospital there and also a whole bunch of education facilities and opportunities for our community to come along and get involved, also for our local wildlife groups to tap into those services, not just the services of the hospital but also the services of educating their staff and their volunteers.

It is something that our community has been crying out for for a long time and that our state has been crying out for for a long time. There is nothing like this yet in South Australia, so it is very exciting, and particularly exciting when it is happening in the electorate of Davenport. I am just very grateful for the committee to have recommended this project, and it will be fantastic to see it proceed. They have spent a lot of time developing plans for this site, and it is worthwhile people going and having a look.

It is an extremely exciting facility with fantastic designs, but I also acknowledge that it has taken them a long time to get to this point. They have had to pull together new designs for every different location that they had to propose. They spent some time with the former government trying to negotiate a spot in Glenthorne Park. They had to move that location on multiple occasions, and unfortunately that cost the RSPCA quite a lot of money in architectural work, so it is fantastic that they have finally locked something in, and they will be able to proceed from here. We are really looking forward to seeing that new site being launched very soon.

Mr BROWN (Florey) (11:27): I just want to thank the member for Davenport for her contribution today and also pass on the committee's thanks to her for appearing as a witness to the committee. It is always very instructive to the committee to hear from local members about their support or otherwise for projects in their electorates.

Motion carried.