Motions

Green Space, Kent Town

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. T.A. Franks:

That this council—

1. Notes that Kent Town is the only suburb in the Norwood Payneham St Peters council with no green space available to the public;

2. Recognises that Kent Town residents' access to the adjacent Adelaide Parklands is obstructed at various periods throughout the year due to fenced-off special events; and

3. Calls on the Malinauskas government to acquire the vacant Lot 26 on College Road, Kent Town, from the federal government for the purposes of turning it into a publicly accessible park for the local community.

(Continued from 6 March 2024.)

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (18:14): I rise to speak on the motion of the Hon. Tammy Franks. You should all have received an amendment, which I would like to read out now. I move to amend the motion as follows:

Leave out paragraph 1.

Leave out paragraph 3 and insert new paragraph as follows:

3. Recommends that Norwood Payneham and St Peters council consider the spatial distribution, accessibility and quality of open space required to support additional housing opportunities in Kent Town through the development of their Open Space, Playgrounds and Recreation Strategy and then engage with the federal government regarding the purchase of the property, should it align with their strategic intent for open space in the area.

The vacant allotment at Lot 26 College Road, Kent Town, currently owned by the commonwealth and previously used by the Bureau of Meteorology, has been on the commonwealth's land disposal list since 2022. The council supports the transfer of the land from the commonwealth to the council if it incurs no cost, including all associated transfer fees and any remediation expenses. If this were to occur, the council undertakes to assume ownership and care of the land as a community park.

The site is zoned urban corridor (main street) under the Planning and Design Code and is adjacent to the established neighbourhood zone to the east of College Road. This zoning encourages a mix of medium and high-density urban development, with a focus on main street characteristics, such as activated frontages and frequent pedestrian access points.

Approximately six months ago, council provided preliminary feedback in relation to the feasibility of developing Lot 26 College Road for affordable housing. The proposal was deemed too large in scale for the site and unlikely to gain approval. Notably, the neighbouring site at 25 College Road has a valid planning consent for a three-level car park and a retail shop development.

In the suburb of Kent Town there is one green space available to the public at Hardman Gardens, which is located at the intersection of The Parade and Fullarton Road. The Greater Adelaide Regional Plan was released on 17 March 2025, which includes a new Greater Adelaide open space strategy. The GARP highlights the importance of identifying priority areas for new public open space to support equitable distribution and space for increased tree canopy and other urban green cover.

It also describes how local planning for additional housing should consider the spatial distribution, accessibility and quality of open space and identify opportunities to partner with the state to invest in open space and public realm linked to housing growth to support these growing communities. Similarly, council is working on a new Open Space, Playgrounds and Recreation Strategy to help guide their management and investment in these areas.

Council's current open space strategy focuses on exploring opportunities for smaller pocket reserves throughout the south-west precinct of the council area, including Kent Town. Additionally, the Planning and Development Fund enables the South Australian government to adopt a statewide approach to strategically implement good planning outcomes, which can include supporting open space and public realm projects, including grants to councils.

Over the past two decades, council has received $5.6 million in grant funding for open space projects, including $45,000 specifically for the Kent Town Urban Design Framework in 2015-16 and $450,000 towards the Dunstan Adventure Playground redevelopment project in 2020-21. The council also received $47,600 in 2024 to support the finalisation of their heritage code amendment and to complete additional heritage-related works.

The GARP considers contributions to the fund should be redistributed to areas proportionate to the amount of development occurring, strengthening the connection of open space investment between the developments that result in payments into the fund and the communities experiencing the growth. Given these factors, it is recommended that the council engage with the federal government regarding the purchase of the property, should it align with their strategic intent for open space in the local area as well as the principles and strategies in GARP regarding open space provisions across all of Greater Adelaide.

The City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters has over 180 hectares of open space, with 72 parks and reserves and 29 playgrounds offering diverse recreational opportunities for residents. While Kent Town faces limitations in direct open space availability, the broader council area upholds high standards for public open space, catering to a wide array of community needs, from informal recreation to structural sports and biodiversity conservation.

Over the past two decades, council has received $5.6 million in grant funding for open space projects from the Planning and Development Fund. The Dunstan Adventure Playground is a recent example of successful collaboration between the council and the state government, with the Planning and Development Fund providing $450,000 of support. This playground demonstrates the importance of connection to open space along the banks of the River Torrens, creating a strong link to the Linear Park trail and supporting positive health and wellbeing outcomes and improved safety and accessibility.

The state government's continued commitment to improving our open spaces and public realm is vital to ensuring South Australia remains a great place to live, where people feel connected to their communities. The Greater Adelaide Regional Plan was released by the government on 17 March 2025 and sets out our long-term vision for how we can sustainably prepare for future growth. The GARP has a focus on increasing tree canopy cover, connecting people with nature, creating open spaces and creating climate resilience. It also considers that funds for new open space areas should be prioritised in areas proportionate to the amount of development occurring, strengthening the connection of open space investment between the developments and the communities experiencing the growth.

Open space investigations were undertaken to inform the GARP, and subsequently a new Greater Adelaide Open Space Strategy was developed to form part of the GARP, providing high-level guidance for local open space strategies. The GARP also requires councils to undertake local housing strategies to identify additional housing opportunities.

Council is developing a new Open Space, Playgrounds and Recreation Strategy to help guide how it manages and invests in its open space, playground and recreational facilities, further developing short-term and long-term plans for the community. This underscores the importance of sustainable development and outcomes, requiring a cross-sectoral approach and integrated planning at both local and state levels to ensure equitable distribution of open spaces across South Australia.

It would be prudent to await the finalisation of council's local housing strategy and Open Space, Playgrounds and Recreation Strategy to inform future investments in open space amenities. Given these factors, it is recommended that council engage with the federal government regarding the purchase of the property, should it align with their local housing strategy and strategic intent for open space in the area, as well as the principles and strategies in GARP regarding open space provisions across Greater Adelaide.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (18:24): That was quite an interesting contribution and I am not quite sure who wrote it. I will not put the blame at the feet of the Hon. Mr Wortley. I rise to speak in support of the unamended motion of the Hon. Tammy Franks. The residents of Kent Town, and in particular the Kent Town Residents Association, have been advocating for this small piece of land previously used by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) to be made available as green space for the local community.

During the Dunstan by-election last year, the Liberal opposition and our candidate for Dunstan, Dr Anna Finizio, committed to supporting the transfer of the land to the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters for use as a community park. I know this is something that Anna has advocated for on behalf of the Kent Town Residents Association and her community.

But the people of Dunstan have once again been let down by Labor's broken promises. Not even a Labor member for Dunstan, a state Labor government and a federal Labor government could manage to transfer this small parcel of land for the benefit of Kent Town residents. How disappointing it is for the community who continue to lose access to green space under this Labor government.

We have seen Labor continually encroach on the Adelaide Parklands, including the relocation of the Thebarton Barracks, which the SA Liberal Party stood side-by-side with the Adelaide Parklands Association to oppose. We have also supported legislation through the parliament to add the Parklands to the state heritage list, which was not supported by the Labor member for Dunstan or this Labor government.

Since coming into government, Labor has shut off the Parklands to the public for months at a time due to the Adelaide 500. The prescribed works period last year alone was 161 days. That means thousands of residents in Dunstan cannot enjoy the Parklands, including its cycling and walking tracks. We know how important green space is to the community, particularly to the community of Dunstan.

The Kent Town Residents Association have collected around 500 signatures in support of the former BoM site being made available for a community park space. Kent Town is a community where we have families living across the suburb in apartments and it is home to an Elder Care Independent Living Village in close proximity to the site, who would, no doubt, utilise the space if it were available to them.

Kent Town is also home to social housing like Dr Kent's Paddock, where I have had the opportunity to meet with residents who I know very much value green space and want to see more of it in Kent Town. Currently, Kent Town does not have safe, accessible, public green space. The benefits green space can bring to mental and physical health is immense. We know there is support across the community for this land to be turned into a community park and that it would be enjoyed by many residents.

I certainly hope that if the Greens, who have brought this motion to the Legislative Council, are truly supportive of this community park and of protecting green spaces like our Parklands, they will look to support candidates like Anna Finizio in the next election. Anna is a progressive and accomplished female candidate who I know would have been prepared to fight tooth and nail for her community. She is someone who would have brought accountability to the parliament on these issues and on the issues that her community care about, from the environment to women's health.

It is disappointing that the Greens used their preference votes to support the Labor Party in the 2024 Dunstan by-election, which as we can see has failed to deliver for the people of Dunstan on a very simple issue. I also express my disappointment that Labor has gained an even greater majority in the parliament through Greens' support for the Labor candidate for Dunstan, who is a conservative, right wing Labor candidate as compared to a progressive moderate Liberal candidate. It highlights a serious hypocrisy that voters in Dunstan need to be aware of.

I am pleased to see that Anna Finizio continues to advocate for the residents of Kent Town on issues like this. I take this opportunity to reiterate that, despite Labor's broken promises to make this space available to residents in Kent Town at last year's by-election, over a year later they have failed to do so. As I have already foreshadowed, we will not be supporting the Labor Party's amendments to this motion.

Sitting extended beyond 18:30 on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (18:29): I move to amend paragraph 3 as follows:

Leave out 'vacant Lot 26' and insert 'decommissioned Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) site'

The reason for the amendment is to make it expressly clear which parcel of land the motion is referring to. It is no surprise, of course, that I am supportive of the motion that my colleague is putting forward. It is disappointing that there has not been a solution found to this parcel of land. I hope that, should this motion pass the upper house, it will put a bit of a rocket under the Labor government and encourage them to take action.

In terms of the points made by the Hon. Michelle Lensink, I do know Dr Anna Finizio. I have had the opportunity to meet her on many occasions. She is indeed a very impressive and accomplished person. Of course, preference decisions are made by party organisations, and they are made not necessarily with regard just to individual candidates who are standing, although I do know Cressida O'Hanlon and know her to be a formidable and impressive person also.

Preference decisions are also made with regard to the policy platforms of the respective political parties. If one looks at the policy platform that the Liberals have advanced here in our state and at the national level, there are significant points of difference with the Greens, so it would hardly be surprising that preference decisions have lined up in the way that they have. Certainly, I support the motion that the Hon. Tammy Franks is putting forward and urge the government to finally do something with respect to this green space.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (18:31): I thank those members who have made a contribution, including the Hon. Robert Simms, the Hon. Russell Wortley and the Hon. Michelle Lensink in this chamber tonight. There has been a lot of interest in this issue for quite an extended period of time over many elections—state elections, by-elections and now federal elections.

Before I turn to that, I would just like to respond to the proposed amendments. I support the amendment put by the Hon. Robert Simms. We have done that to clarify the piece of land that we mean. I will refer members back to my original speech to this motion, where I noted that there were actually two parcels of land in this spot and that one had already been purchased to erect a car park. My understanding is—and out of the abundance of caution—there are actually two different lots there. It is to ensure we are sticking to the issue of the land left at the decommissioned BoM site as the land we are talking about in this particular motion, as opposed to historically the larger parcel of land.

I note also the Labor amendment in the name of the Hon. Russell Wortley proposes to leave out paragraph 1. That paragraph reads currently:

1. Notes that Kent Town is the only suburb in the Norwood Payneham St Peters council with no green space available to the public;

That is certainly the contention of the Kent Town residents—some 475 people who know their suburb, who signed a petition calling for this community park to be created. If the Labor Party have another particular parcel of land that they would like to identify, I think that would have been a more useful amendment. At this point, I am not sure why they seek to strike out that particular paragraph and, consequently, we will be opposing that.

Further, the Hon. Russell Wortley's amendment proposes to leave out paragraph 3 and instead insert a new paragraph. Currently, paragraph 3 reads:

3. Calls on the Malinauskas government to acquire the vacant lot 26 on College Road, Kent Town, from the federal government for the purposes of turning it into a publicly accessible park for the local community.

That is quite simple. The government's proposed amendment reads:

3. Recommends that Norwood Payneham St Peters council consider the spatial distribution, accessibility and quality of open space required to support additional housing opportunities in Kent Town through the development of their Open Space, Playgrounds and Recreation Strategy and then engage with the federal government regarding the purchase of the property, should it align with their strategic intent for open space in the area.

I note that I am not sure if that means the federal government's strategic intent or the council's. I suspect the state government means the council's strategic intent. But should the state government and the Malinauskas government in this place have any doubt of what the current Norwood Payneham & St Peters council's position is on this, I refer them to the correspondence of both their member for Dunstan, as well as their current candidate for Sturt, Claire Clutterham, who has written to the Senator, the Hon. Katy Gallagher, who is the Minister for Finance and has responsibility for deciding what happens with this particular parcel of land.

In that correspondence from the Labor candidate for Sturt, she outlines and notes the council's support that was confirmed in a meeting in October 2024 when a particular motion was passed. That motion reads that the council:

1. Fully supports the request by the Kent Town Residents Association to the Senator, the Hon. Katy Gallagher, Minister for Finance, to transfer Lot 14 College Road, Kent Town, to the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters;

2. That this transfer, if agreed to, incurs no cost to the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, including remediation costs;

3. In the event that the request is agreed, the council undertakes to assume ownership and take care of the land as a community park; and

4. That the Kent Town Residents Association understand that any development of this land is not contained in the recently adopted 2023-24 to 2033-34 long-term financial plan of the council.

I think the council has already considered this matter, and while I am sure that they might find the suggestion being made in the form of this amendment from the state Malinauskas government interesting, I do not think that they will find it useful, so on those grounds I will certainly be opposing it, and I encourage Labor members to stand by their candidate for Sturt in this particular matter—stand by her. What is it? Three sleeps until the election and some of us are actually awake, and paying attention to what is going on in the seat of Sturt. Certainly, the Kent Town residents are watching this debate closely. We have seen before that elections have a particular effect when it comes to pocket parks.

I draw members' attention to the fact that Labor delivered for Lucy Hood, the now member for Adelaide, on a pocket park in Prospect, and that was done under the state government's auspices and is not dissimilar to this particular issue. It has an annual program where not just tens of thousands, not just hundreds of thousands but year after year, millions of dollars are given out to very similar projects. I point to $2.1 million for a park in Fremont, a pocket park in Carol Avenue in the Port Adelaide Enfield council, that is $1.29 million, or Paxtons Walk in the city, over $2.2 million.

That is one of a raft of state government-led moves to create better green space and better community in those particular electorates. I guess time will tell whether or not the Sturt electorate counts to the Malinauskas Labor government. In the federal government—that has now been considering this matter for some time—in response back to the Labor candidates and members, Minister Gallagher in December 2024 noted the interest in the future of the Kent Town property, and noted that she was actively considering the matter, that it was under active consideration by the federal Albanese government, and she would write to those particular people once a decision was made.

Well, December, January, February, March, April, May—and here we are still waiting. As I say, three sleeps to go. Let's see what happens in that decommissioned Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) site in Kent Town. It could just be the explosion that the Sturt people need to know which way they choose to cast their ballot on Saturday.

The PRESIDENT: As we work our way through this, the first question I am going to put is that paragraph 1, as proposed to be struck out by the Hon. R.P. Wortley, stand as part of the motion. So if you are supporting the Hon. Mr Wortley you are going to vote no.

Question resolved in the negative.

The PRESIDENT: The next question is that all words in paragraph 3, down to but excluding 'vacant Lot 26', stand as part of the motion. So if you are with the Hon. Ms Franks you will vote yes, and if you are with the Hon. Mr Wortley you will vote no.

The council divided on the question:

Ayes 8

Noes 6

Majority 2

AYES

NOES

PAIRS

Question thus agreed to.

The Hon. R.A. Simms' amendment carried; motion as amended carried.

At 18:46 the council adjourned until Thursday 1 May 2025 at 14:15.