Festival Plaza Precinct

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:31): My question is to the Treasurer. Would the Treasurer provide an update to the council on the progress of the works in the Festival Plaza Precinct?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:31): There's been some media interest on this issue in the last 24 hours, evidently. My attention has been drawn to an article in the press written by Ben Wilmot about Walker Group Holdings nationally, and in that it says:

Walker is also ready to begin construction of its…office tower at Festival Plaza in Adelaide after close to a decade of planning, debate and delays.

I am pleased to be able to inform the house that in relation to the Festival Plaza itself, now that the car park is operational—there have been ongoing works at the Festival Centre but on the plaza precinct itself—the latest advice I have had is that it should be at the stage that it can be advanced to by around about February of next year.

There are three sections of the Festival Plaza. There is one which is an apron section around the Festival Centre. Work has already commenced in relation to that. The Walker Corporation in consultation with the arm of government, which is Renewal SA and also the Festival Centre, is also commencing work on what I call the middle part of the Festival Plaza Precinct. That is intended to include highlights like arbours to provide shade for individuals during the hot summer periods that Adelaide experiences together with a water feature as part of that particular central part of the Festival Centre Precinct.

The third part, which is the bit which we are tied up against, where the office complex is going to be built, obviously cannot be done until the office complex is actually completed. Our understanding or our target we understand the Walker Corporation is aiming towards is the end of 2023, the start of 2024. For that to occur the press report would, indeed, have to be pretty accurate—that they were likely to want to be able to commence construction work on that in the very near future.

As I said, that third part of the Festival Plaza Precinct itself, which will have retail frontages at the base of those commercial buildings, as previously approved by the former government, won't be able to be completed until in and around about that time, which is 2023-24, but the main central part and the apron which surrounds the Festival Centre is highly likely to be concluded by around about February of next year, so I am advised.

The government is looking at a range of issues in relation to governance and management of the precinct—issues such as security, lighting, collection of rubbish—because obviously it's the government's vision for this particular precinct that it become one inhabited and used by thousands of South Australians, both workers coming out of the corporation building and others attracted from the CBD down to this particular precinct during their lunch breaks or after work or even on weekends where various activations will occur.

The government will have more to say on that over the coming weeks in terms of activating the precinct down there, but it is an exciting prospect. I conclude by saying I had the good fortune 25-odd years ago to chair the cabinet committee that looked at the first master plan for the Riverbank Precinct, which was the Festival Centre, the Casino and ASER development. That was the first master plan.

Twenty-five years later, we are now getting much closer to seeing what was envisaged there and that is, instead of turning our back on the River Torrens, embracing the River Torrens, encouraging it as a usable space, an attractive and friendly space for people to come down and visit, have activities and enjoy that particular precinct. The government will have more to say on that over the coming weeks.