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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-03-06 Daily Xml
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TORRENS PARADE GROUND

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (15:01): Does the Premier stand by his statement when in opposition on 17 June 1997, when he said—

Members interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: If you want to laugh at veterans, that's fine, go for it. The Premier said that he 'strongly supports the Torrens Parade Ground honouring the contribution of South Australians over the years and their armed forces in war and peace'. The South Australian Branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association is currently housed in the Torrens Parade Ground. However, after a review of the rental arrangements, the government has substantially increased the rate payable by the association to some $14,000 per annum.

Members interjecting:

Mr PENGILLY: Attorney-General, if you want to bag ex-servicemen, go for it; they'll love it. The increase has eaten up a substantial amount of the association's funds to the point where its situation is now untenable and it may be forced to relocate.

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (15:02): This is bizarre. Let us remember which premier it was that basically ordered the complete refurbishment of the Torrens Parade Ground, including a request made to the then minister responsible for public works to make sure that the area of the parade ground itself, which used to be a tarmac, was actually more in keeping with its heritage origins, like Horse Guards Parade in Britain, and was refurbished. I remember the minister bringing back some gravel from Horse Guards Parade for me—maybe it was or maybe it was not. It was something that looked like the gravel from Horse Guards Parade.

So millions of dollars later we had a refurbished Torrens Parade Ground, and we then made the further step in order to make it available for veterans groups, including the Returned Services Association and others. I understand there was enormous relief, after years of being stuffed around, when they found a home in the building; and other people have leased other premises. It has been extremely useful for the veterans community to have an appropriate home.

I take the point from an interjection about what happened and the difference between us and them when it comes to issues of Vietnam veterans. This government put money into the wonderful sculpture on the parade ground that features an Australian digger alongside a South Vietnamese soldier, not in an angry or defiant pose but, rather, a more reflective pose. In the years I have been in public life, one of the most moving services I have attended was the day on which it was unveiled. In fact, it was the former governor Sir Donald Dunstan who unveiled the statue; and I saw the relatives of those who fell in Vietnam alongside those who fought in the Vietnam War, including in the Australian armed services and the South Vietnamese services. Let us remember what the Liberal response was that day. We were told of a boycott by Howard government ministers—a boycott not only in terms of funding for the memorial but also for official attendance—

Mr PENGILLY: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. My point of order is relevance. The question was: will the Premier intervene to question the $14,000 rent on four rooms in the Torrens Parade Ground? It was nothing to do with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will just rule on the point of order. The question was: does the Premier stand by what he said in 1997 with regard to the Torrens Parade Ground?

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: And not—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier can just wait. I do not uphold the point of order. He is answering the substance of the question. The Premier.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Thank you. You asked me whether I stood by what I said in 1997. Not only do I stand by what I said but I also acted. Millions of dollars were spent in refurbishing the Torrens Parade Ground to be a permanent memorial and home for our veterans—something that the previous government did not do—and then proceeded to provide funding for a memorial, which we saw Liberals dishonour by a threat of a boycott, because the South Vietnamese flag would be flying. I was proud to stand in front of the Australian flag, flying alongside the South Vietnamese flag, because they are the flags that the soldiers fought under, and they deserve to be honoured on that day—and shame on the Liberal Party for its threats.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The SPEAKER: Order!

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