PARKS COMMUNITY CENTRE

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:03): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Families and Communities a question about the proposed closure of the Parks Community Centre.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: As the minister will be aware, on Friday 17 September the state government notified the Port Adelaide Enfield council that it would no longer provide funding to operate and manage the Parks Community Centre and that council-run services at the Parks Community Centre will cease on or before 18 March 2011. These services are delivered from the sports, fitness and aquatic centres, the library, the theatres and the arts and crafts area and include youth, children's and other events, including senior citizens'; and I must say also that the Adelaide Roller Derby League got its start in the Parks Community Centre.

It was described by Don Dunstan as a centre that was a social icon for Australia and, when there were attacks on it under a previous Liberal government, Premier Rann, then leader of the opposition, said it was a fundamental assault on the western suburbs to attack the Parks Community Centre.

My question is: can the minister explain why the government considers a 2.8 kilometre elevated South Road superway, the state's most expensive road project ever, budgeted at $825 million, more worthy than funding the Parks Community Centre for the next 165 years, or the Adelaide Oval redevelopment funding alone, which could be worth 100 years of funding to the Parks Community Centre or, in fact, just the express footbridge that will herd people from that Adelaide Oval to the Casino, which could fund the Parks centre for the next seven and a half years?

The PRESIDENT: The honourable minister, in answering the question, should ignore the opinion in the question.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:05): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions. I will refer those questions to the Minister for Families and Communities in another place and bring back a response.