Question Time

RIVERBANK PRECINCT

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning a question about the Integrated Design Commission.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Members would be aware that, during yesterday's Budget and Finance Committee meeting, information was provided that the cost of the government's Adelaide Oval project has blown out to in excess of $700 million and could approach $750 million. There are unknown details of the area to be involved outside the precinct, including the riverside precinct, and now we have also been informed that there will be car parking on the southern side of the Torrens. The government is investing a vast amount of money in the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, the Riverbank, Convention Centre and, if the parties can agree, the Adelaide Oval—totalling, I suspect, in excess of $3 billion.

We noted with interest the appointment of Mr Tim Horton as Integrated Design Commissioner last week after Professor Laura Lee indicated that she was not able to start until September. It was so important that the government needed to appoint somebody straightaway rather than waiting three months. Mr Horton, who was the president of the Australian Institute of Architects, South Australian branch, put out a press release in relation to the Royal Adelaide Hospital location on 26 March 2009. I will not read it all, just a couple of important paragraphs. It states:

The case for good healthcare planning in South Australia is not advanced by politicians of any persuasion engaging in 'design-on-the-run'...

The release goes on to say:

'Design of the built environment is about forward planning to balance a range of competing needs. This takes time, as well as siting considerations, including understanding the links to public transport...[to] the river, the North Terrace precinct, the city and North Adelaide. All of these require detailed study by those with appropriate expertise...informed by detailed brief,' Mr Horton said.

Given that Mr. Horton is now the Integrated Design Commissioner, my questions are:

1. Can the minister outline why siting decisions were made without consulting those with appropriate expertise, as suggested by Mr Horton?

2. Will the government now put on hold the entire North Terrace Riverbank development to allow the Integrated Design Commissioner time to develop an overall plan for this particular project and precint?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister Assisting the Premier in Public Sector Management) (14:27): We wanted to start with an integrated design commissioner as soon as possible because there are a number of projects that we have on the go. We think it is important that we get better design around our projects. After all, integrated design is about looking at the interaction between the buildings that we build, and we will be advertising soon for a government architect to help with the building design.

The integrated design commissioner looks at where those buildings and other government projects fit in the landscape. Clearly, the sorts of developments proposed at Riverbank are areas that would benefit from having an integrated design commissioner, and that is exactly why the government is setting up this position. I just hope that this is not going to be a further example of members opposite attacking whoever the government appoints to these sorts of position.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: I'm pleased you're not. I would hope that they do not try to detract from everything that is done in the city to try to get things moving.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Isn't it amazing that the opposition is talking about rushing things through. Heavens above! They would be the first ones to complain in this regard.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Look at this other rubbish. I will go back to what was said in the introduction to the question about a cost blowout. This is the sort of dishonesty that the Liberal Party is pushing very hard and, unfortunately, a whole lot of compliant and unprofessional journalists keep peddling the same thing. As Mr Whicker said yesterday at the meeting, how can you have a cost blowout when you have not even had a tender or any official amount? Still, we have the Leader of the Opposition here repeating the same nonsense about a cost blowout when, in fact, there has not been any—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Well, see what I mean! Members opposite are creating this dishonesty. You have the Hon. Mr Lucas ringing up every journalist in Adelaide. Unfortunately, many of them are just listening to his line and publishing it uncritically. It is very easy to attack everything, but the fact is—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Well, there it is, Mr President. We have this negative, carping, whingeing opposition, frustrated because they did not win the last election, because they were not good enough. They are just frustrated, and they are whingeing. Unfortunately, we have a whole collection of media people in this town who seem to agree with them. They are quite happy to damage our city in the process.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: 'Oh!' Yes, it is 'Oh!' It is unfortunate, but this government will not be deterred. Through an integrated design commission, we will get better design in the city. We will not back off, we will keep pushing forward, and the more the members opposite whinge, the more they distort, the more incorrect information they put out, the more determined this government will be to push on and succeed.

I think the honourable member also referred to some comments made by Tim Horton and by the Institute of Architects. What he was calling for in that press release was that we support the important work of Adelaide Thinker In Residence Professor Laura Lee, which we understand is looking to draw together government, industry and the public to develop a model process that focuses less on outcome and more on building consensus to inform an outcome.

How could anyone ever have consensus with an opposition like this? How could you ever have consensus on anything, because they just oppose everything for the sake of it. I just hope the media in this town realise sooner or later that, rather than uncritically and unprofessionally reporting everything they do, perhaps they should start to look forward and consider the city and its future, rather than the frustration of members opposite and the distortions that they are creating because of it.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway has a supplementary question.