City of Onkaparinga Playgrounds

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (15:37): I rise today on behalf of families right across my electorate of Davenport who are deeply worried about the future of their playgrounds. The City of Onkaparinga is currently reviewing its open space strategy, and one of the most concerning proposals is to increase the minimum distance between home and playgrounds from 500 metres to 1,000 metres. This shift towards a quality over quantity model would see many small, much-loved neighbourhood playgrounds removed over time, simply left to decline and disappear when the equipment ages. That might sound like a minor planning tweak, but for families on the ground, it is a big deal.

For parents juggling school pickups and busy schedules, for families without access to transport, for grandparents helping with care and, of course, for kids who deserve access to outdoor play and connection close to home, it really does matter. And when you think about parents walking from home to a playground, they are not always walking with one child; they are often walking with multiple children, sometimes with a pet also and a pram. You can imagine them walking all the way for one kilometre to get to their local playground only for one of those kids to need to use the bathroom and then having to turn around and walk straight back again. So it is a huge impact on parents.

In my community of Davenport alone, there are 11 playgrounds that have been earmarked for no further renewal, and then once they get to end of life they will be removed altogether. Sites include:

Fountain Valley Drive and Powell Street in Happy Valley. Fountain Valley is one of the favourite places in our local community for families to go to feed the ducks after school.

APIC Reserve and The Parkway in Aberfoyle Park, as well as Roxanne Avenue in Aberfoyle Park, which is a huge favourite for families. Families have been lobbying for years to see upgrades in that space to now learn that the equipment that is there now will be removed altogether.

Mandilla Reserve and Sturt Gorge Recreation Park in Flagstaff Hill, along with many other much-loved playgrounds in my area.

These are not just swings and slides. They are gathering spaces. They are landmarks of childhood. They are where neighbours become friends and where kids learn to take turns, climb higher and dream bigger. Many of the people who have grown up in our neighbourhood remember these playgrounds from when they were kids and are now enjoying taking their kids there themselves. While we welcome investment in larger regional reserves like Serpentine and Flagstaff Park, this must not come at the expense of smaller, accessible local spaces.

What concerns me also is that playgrounds such as Roxanne Avenue playground have had effort put in from the council to look at developing new spaces. They have spent time and money. Many staff at the council have spent days, weeks and months putting effort into what a new design for that playground could look like. They have had quotes on new equipment, they have gone out to the community and consulted on what they would like there, and they have set an expectation for the community around Roxanne Avenue that they will be getting something new and bright and shiny in the next financial year, now only to learn that actually, no, they will not be receiving an upgrade at all and once that equipment gets to end of life, it will be removed completely.

So as local MPs—myself, alongside the member of Kaurna, the member for Hurtle Vale, the member for Reynell and the federal member for Kingston—we are standing with our communities and calling for a more balanced approach, one that values both quality and accessibility. Bigger does not always mean better, and it certainly does not mean fairer.

I have heard from many residents, particularly older people who rely on nearby playgrounds to spend time with their grandkids, that a walk to the local park is part of their daily rhythm. It helps keep them active, socially connected and able to lend a hand with after-school care.

Not everybody wants to drive to their local playground, and not everybody can drive to their local playground. If we remove these spaces, we are not just removing play equipment, we are removing one of the quiet cornerstones of community life. That is why we have launched a petition and we are urging council to reconsider. We are encouraging every resident who values their local park to make their voices heard, because once these playgrounds are gone they will not come back.

While I am speaking about the importance of community spaces, I want to take an extra moment to celebrate the delivery of a project that shows what is possible when we do invest in our suburbs, not cut them. This is a project that I thank the City of Onkaparinga for partnering with our state government and federal government on, and that is the Hub Gymnastics club and their redevelopment of the Paul Murray Recreation Centre. This was a $3 million investment from state government and an election commitment of mine at the last election and we will be officially opening that space this weekend with the Premier.

I really encourage locals to come and check out this amazing new facility which is being made available for kids. There are over 700 kids on the waitlist to get in and start enjoying gymnastics and they will be able to do that from this weekend.