National Parks

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (14:59): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Could the minister inform the chamber about the outcome of the codesign process to determine how parks around the Adelaide metropolitan area will be improved to attract greater numbers of visitors?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:59): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. There is no doubt about him, he comes up with these blitzes, does he not? On Sunday 8 November I joined hundreds of park lovers at Morialta Conservation Park for the Picnic in the Park event. It was one of the final events to celebrate the centenary of Morialta Conservation Park and it really is a wonderful and much-loved asset for our city and our communities.

It was fitting that I took that occasion to announce the results of one of the largest co-design initiatives ever undertaken by my department. One of the election commitments of ours was to invest $10.4 million on projects to increase the number of people visiting Adelaide's metropolitan national parks. This includes turning the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges into an international mountain biking destination, and improving the infrastructure and facilities in parks located in the northern and southern suburbs of Adelaide.

With so many wonderful and diverse parks surrounding the city, the state government wants to encourage more people to use and enjoy them. The state government's role is not only to look after and conserve these parks but also to make sure that they have the facilities and amenities that visitors want. We made the important decision early on in this project to go out and ask the community what they wanted in their local parks. The South Australian government recognises the importance of giving South Australians more opportunities to be involved in decisions that impact their lives and this was the basis of the Premier's Reforming Democracy agenda, after all.

I am very proud to say that the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources has a strong track record of bringing the community's voice into government decision making, notably through regional natural resources management planning, water allocation planning and the co-management of national parks. We feel involving people in decisions that interest or affect them will result in better solutions, and involving the community gives us access to new and innovative ideas.

We know that spending time in nature is excellent for our physical and mental health and wellbeing, and we also know that the best way we can conserve our open spaces is to ensure that the community feels a sense of ownership and pride towards them and will want to protect them into the future. We wanted to make sure that this investment and the improvements we ultimately undertake truly reflect what the community wants and needs.

The co-design process involved community round tables and stakeholder workshops, an online survey and national park discovery days. We even encouraged primary school students to describe their perfect park for us through a competition using the computer game Minecraft where their task was to design their ideal park. Over 11,000 people, I am advised, were involved in this process and they provided us with a huge number of suggestions that were then considered by the two co-design teams made up of northern and southern community members.

I am very pleased to announce that we will be funding nearly 40 infrastructure, education and maintenance projects across seven metropolitan Adelaide parks from Para Wirra Recreation Park (up until a few months' time) in the north to Onkaparinga River National and Recreation Parks in the south. With the support and endorsement of both houses of parliament, Para Wirra Recreation Park will become Para Wirra Conservation Park.

These include upgrades to picnic areas and campsites, as well as a number of improvements to walking trails, outlooks and bike trails for all ages. We will also be investing in a number of nature play areas for children and improved educational information facilities. To complement these upgrades, we are also creating ongoing roles for five rangers and eight seasonal staff to carry out trail maintenance.

Planning and design for these projects is already underway, with on-ground works due to begin from the middle of next year, creating an estimated 20 jobs in local design and construction businesses. Importantly, they accurately reflect what the community told us they needed. The co-design process will not only provide people with the facilities they want in parks, but also create a new generation of park lovers and protectors, we hope.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who responded to our online survey and took part in the park's open days, round tables or one of the community co-design teams which did such fantastic work. I would also like to thank sincerely DEWNR staff for their outstanding effort and enthusiasm for the co-design process that certainly has ensured it was such a resounding success.