O-Bahn Tunnel

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (16:14): I move:

1. That a select committee of the Legislative Council be established to inquire into and report on the state government’s O-Bahn access project, with reference to—

(a) any alternative transport routes and/or proposals prepared by the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, in respect of the O-Bahn extension proposal;

(b) any alternative transport routes and/or proposals in respect of the O-Bahn extension proposal, including any considered by the state government;

(c) any alternative proposals to save time for commuters, that do not include major road works, including pre-validation of fares;

(d) any investigations, undertaken by the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure, into road traffic movement in Grenfell Street;

(e) any cost-benefit analyses related to the O-Bahn extension proposal;

(f) the community impacts of the O-Bahn city access project proposal, including any adverse effects on local residents, local traders and businesses and, community events;

(g) the impacts of any likely disruption during the construction phase of the O-Bahn city access project proposal;

(h) any likely adverse impacts on Rymill Park after construction of the proposed busway tunnel and highway connection to Grenfell Street;

(i) any potential impacts of the O-Bahn city access project proposal on the current Royal Adelaide Hospital site, the Adelaide Zoo and other surrounding sites;

(j) how the O-Bahn extension proposal fits in with the state government’s Integrated Transport and Land Use Plan;

(k) the cost benefit of extending the O-Bahn to suburbs including Golden Grove and/or surrounding suburbs; and

(l) any other relevant matters.

2. That standing order 389 be so far suspended as to enable the Chairperson of the committee to have a deliberative vote only.

3. That this council permits the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it sees fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being presented to the council.

4. That standing order 396 be suspended to enable strangers to be admitted when the select committee is examining witnesses unless the committee otherwise resolves, but they shall be excluded when the committee is deliberating.

Last Sunday, around 1,000 people attended a picnic rally at Rymill Park. The picnic rally was organised by the Rymill Park Alliance, which is made up of 11 community and residents' groups and represents several thousand members. Guest speakers included the Rt Hon. Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Martin Haese, and my colleague Senator Nick Xenophon. Also in attendance were a number of my parliamentary colleagues: the Hon. Mark Parnell, the Hon. Tammy Franks and the member for Adelaide, Rachel Sanderson, as well as a number of Adelaide City councillors.

We were all there for one reason: to voice our concerns over the government's $160 million planned O-Bahn city access project, a proposal that involves tunnelling a dedicated O-Bahn track through the Parklands, constructing a four-lane highway connection to Grenfell Street and the resulting closure of Rundle Road. The government has argued that the O-Bahn project is an election promise that it intends to fulfil. It has tried to divert attention away from the fact that the current proposal—the one that cuts across the heart of our Parklands—is actually quite different from that proposed during the election.

It is one thing to gain support for an underground tunnel that does not impact on the enjoyment of our Parklands and surrounding businesses and residents and quite another to build a four-lane highway across Rymill Park. The minister has also tried to turn this issue into an argument between residents from what he calls the 'affluent eastern suburbs' and residents from Adelaide's northern suburbs. He is quoted in the media as saying, 'There's obviously some people who live in the eastern part of the city, they enjoy their particular part of the city and they think it should be free from other people enjoying that part of the city.' What absolute nonsense!

According to the organisers of the rally, the 855 signatures collected for the petition against the proposal showed that they came from 98 different postcodes: 17 per cent were from the city itself and 21 per cent were from our north and north-eastern suburbs. The fact of the matter is that this is not just about residents living in the East End or traders and businesses in the East End: it is about our future vision for this city.

The government's proposal is ill conceived and, if it proceeds its current form, one which I think we will all live to regret in years to come. Rymill Park is, without question, one of our city's most valuable assets. Its sprawling green lawns, its large lake and its kiosk are all iconic features of the park that have made it a true South Australian landmark that is enjoyed by all. Of all the Parklands, Rymill Park attracts the most visitors, some half a million per year, and it is home to the most community events, including the Adelaide Fringe, Clipsal 500, the Tour Down Under, the Adelaide International Horse Trials and Carnevale in Adelaide.

The government's proposed O-Bahn extension places all this at risk. It has raised concerns not just from the select few but from all sections of the community—and rightly so. According to government figures, more than 31,000 people use the O-Bahn on weekdays, making it the most popular public transport network in Adelaide. Nobody is arguing against the merits of extending the O-Bahn, and building on that patronage by providing better travel times the passengers, but let's explore all the options, let's consider all the alternatives and make a decision that is in the best interests of our city.

The Public Works Committee will not be considering this proposal beyond the economics and viability of the project. We need to be considering it in a much larger context and in a lot more detail. We need to consider all the alternatives, all the potential impacts, including the social and environmental impacts, and all the long-term ramifications of this particular proposal which has not yet been subject to scrutiny and which differs significantly from that originally proposed.

I am proposing that all of these matters be examined and subject to proper scrutiny through the committee process before we plough through Rymill Park. We need to consider all the O-Bahn extension proposals prepared by the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. We need to look at which ones of those were considered by the state government and how they differed from the current proposal. We need to consider the cost benefit analysis of the project and the outcomes of any investigations into traffic movement in and out of Grenfell Street.

We need to consider how the project fits in with plans for the RAH site, and whether there are other measures that will save time for commuters travelling into the city; the community and environmental impacts of all the proposals; the effects on local residents, businesses and traders; and we need to consider why it is that the government has refused to entertain extending the O-Bahn to suburbs including Golden Grove. Only then will we be in a position to make an informed decision about what is best for our city and this is a decision which affects all of our city.

Adelaide has a reputation as one of the most liveable cities in the world. This reputation is built on features like Rymill Park. I sincerely hope that the government will see sense and support this motion before making any decision that could jeopardise our Parklands and our reputation as one of the most liveable cities in the world, a reputation that we have strived so hard to achieve. With that I commend the motion to the council and I look forward to hearing from other honourable members on this very important issue.

Debate adjourned on motion of the Hon. J.M. Gazzola.