House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-02-12 Daily Xml

Contents

GLENSIDE HOSPITAL REDEVELOPMENT

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (17:03): Will the Premier advise how many trees will be destroyed to accommodate the Glenside Hospital redevelopment? On 26 July 2007, I asked the Premier for an assurance that no trees of heritage significance will be destroyed or removed from the site. I have received no answer. The Glenside Campus Concept Master Plan, as published by the Department of Health, discloses 299 trees with a trunk circumference greater than 2 metres. They are then regulated under the current provisions of the significant tree legislation. It further discloses that 191 of these come within the definition of significant tree, of which 165 require retention. The concept plan also discloses that 42 per cent of the property will be sold to become precincts 3, 4 and 5, accommodating a supermarket, a retail precinct, car parking and new accommodation.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Energy) (17:04): I will take the question on behalf of the responsible minister. I will have to get some detail from the responsible minister but I will make a few points. Given that this is a government that is committed to planting 5.5 million trees, members can expect that this government will be far more sensitive to those matters than any government has been in the past. I will answer one of the points made in that long explanation about the sale for a retail centre. Of course, it was actually the previous Liberal government that first went to the person in question with an undertaking to make a sale individually. But I will say this: one thing I do know about it is that I am absolutely certain that what happens at Glenside regarding trees would not be anywhere near the carnage that has been supported by this member to improve the Britannia roundabout. She has called persistently for the destruction of great gum trees in our Parklands to help out motorists. So all I will say is that I am absolutely confident that this land will be treated with far greater sensitivity than it would be if these villains were in government.