New Women's and Children's Hospital (Relocation of SA Police Facilities) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Mr BATTY (Bragg) (10:58): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

In doing so, I note that this is a bill that has come to us from the other place, where it was moved by the Hon. Roberts Simms MLC. I want to acknowledge his ongoing commitment, like those on this side of the house, to protecting our green open space. This is one of two bills that seek to better protect the Adelaide Parklands that are coming to our house, both of which I can indicate the opposition will be supporting.

We will be supporting them because we listen to our local communities on these issues, and we will be supporting them because we genuinely care about protecting our Adelaide Parklands. We do not just talk the talk when it comes to protecting our Adelaide Parklands. We do not promise to do something before an election and then do something completely different after an election: we in fact walk the walk, and this bill today is yet another example in recent times of our doing just that.

What it seeks to do is remove section 10 from the new Women's and Children's Hospital act. This was the provision in that act, which was passed not all that long ago, that provided the police minister with the extraordinary power to seize slabs of the Adelaide Parklands anywhere he likes for the purposes of constructing a new, high-security police facility for our mounted police barracks.

When that bill came before the house last year, the opposition raised serious concerns about section 10 and the impact it might have on our Adelaide Parklands. Indeed, in the other place we moved quite sensible amendments that sought to add a layer of transparency and consultation around the exercise of this extraordinary power.

If the government had listened to us at that time, they might not find themselves in the total mess they do today, where they have spent the better part of a year trying to move some horses. It is a farcical situation we are now in, it is a shambles we are now in and it is a situation that could have been avoided if the Malinauskas Labor government had listened to our concerns about a year ago. But you did not listen to us, did you? You did not listen to us. You passed this act—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! the member for Bragg has the call.

Mr BATTY: —and then the rubber really hit the road when you tried to exercise—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens!

Mr BATTY: —these extraordinary powers and seize a slab of Parklands in the southern Parklands in perhaps the most egregious way possible. It was egregious because we knew the value of Park 21 West here on this side of the house. We know it is the most significant site of remnant vegetation in the entire Adelaide Parklands. It was egregious because it was done without any consultation at all so far as we could see. There was no consultation with groups like Bush for Life, whose volunteers have lovingly cared for that site for the past 15 years. There was no consultation that we could see with First Nations people, with the Adelaide City Council, with the Adelaide Park Lands Authority.

It was particularly egregious, perhaps worst of all, because it was being done by a government that promised us before the last election that they would protect Adelaide's unique Parklands. This is a promise they have broken at every available opportunity, and I hope that this bill today is an opportunity for the government to start making amends and start keeping their promises when it comes to the Parklands.

The land grab at Park 21 West did not go ahead, and I was very proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with that local community to protest against that Parklands pillage. We gathered thousands of signatures on petitions, and we gathered hundreds of people at public rallies, to send a message to the Malinauskas Labor government to keep their hands off our Adelaide Parklands. It seems the message—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for West Torrens, order!

Mr BATTY: It seems the message finally got through—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr BATTY: —because the government was forced into a very humiliating but very happy backflip when it comes to Park 21 West with the announcement that an alternative site had been found. In those circumstances, this bill today should be relatively uncontroversial. What it seeks to do is close the loophole that exists in the legislation now, that an alternative site has apparently been found and that the police barracks will not be relocated to a site in the Parklands.

If the Malinauskas Labor government was fair dinkum about this commitment to no longer put the barracks in the Parklands, then the police minister no longer needs these extraordinary powers to seize slabs of Parklands and the government can support this bill today. I genuinely hope they are fair dinkum about it because this whole relocation has very fast turned into a total farce. It has been a lesson in incompetence to try to move some horses, with the government employing some sort of bizarre announce-defend-capitulate strategy.

The Hon. N.D. Champion interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Taylor!

Mr BATTY: In the space of a few months, we have seen a plan A announced, which was their Parklands pillage at Park 21 West; we have seen a plan B being announced, which was a parcel of land riddled with PFAS at Adelaide Airport that was not even available to the government; and we have seen a plan C announced now, a move to Gepps Cross at an eye-watering cost of $90 million—and we now learn that is going to impact response times and the workforce as well.

What this bill seeks to do today is remove the option of a potential plan D if the Malinauskas Labor government were foolish enough to once again consider a site in the Parklands. I hope they can support the bill in those circumstances. I commend the bill to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr Odenwalder.