Adelaide Parklands

Mr BATTY (Bragg) (14:16): My question is to the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water. Does the minister stand by Labor's 2022 election Parklands policy? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr BATTY: Page 6 of Labor's heritage policy document states that Labor will 'protect Adelaide's unique Parklands', yet since the election the government has not progressed action to state heritage list the Parklands, and has announced that Park 21 West has been chosen as the new site to develop the new location of the SA Police Mounted Operations Unit.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:17): For the benefit of the member for Bragg, I can advise him that the minister responsible for Parklands indeed is Mr Champion—who of course is also the member for Taylor—who is currently overseas. Having said that, I am more than happy to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: He is there with, of course, the Hon. Michelle Lensink—the stalwart of selling off public homes here in South Australia, in very distinct juxtaposition to—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —the current government's position.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: For the benefit of—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call.

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: For the benefit of the member for Bragg, the government has received advice from South Australia Police that its preferred location as things stand for the relocation of the Mounted Operations Unit is to the South Parklands site that has been publicly identified but, as it currently stands, the government has not made a final decision to go ahead with that site. We are actively considering all options we reasonably can. There is a very rigid set of requirements that South Australia Police reasonably have to meet their operational needs when it comes to the Mounted Operations Unit, and that is something this government takes very seriously.

The Minister for Police, along with the Treasurer and myself, and I should mention the Minister for Health, who is the person who has the final say about the location of this site under the act that the parliament passed not too long ago—we have all been working through the options as best as we can to make sure we meet the police's needs as best as possible, which are legitimate and real. We want to make that decision as quickly as possible so as to facilitate the relocation of the Thebarton Barracks site ASAP. The reason why that's important, of course, is because this government made a decision to build a new Women's and Children's Hospital that's going to be not too small on day one. That is to say, we have chosen—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —a site that sets—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Florey!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —us up for decades to come.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Colton!

The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: So we are doing everything that is required to make it easier for the relocation for SAPOL sooner rather than later and that's a process we will continue to engage with as collectively and as consultatively as we reasonably can.