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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-10-27 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE GAOL

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (14:39): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Conservation.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms THOMPSON: What progress is being made with works to preserve one of the state's oldest buildings, which I understand is the Adelaide Gaol?

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton—Minister for Environment and Conservation, Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water) (14:40): I thank the honourable member for her question.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: This is not the press release, is it?

The Hon. P. CAICA: Well, I am glad you've read it.

The SPEAKER: No debate across the chamber; minister, answer the question.

The Hon. P. CAICA: I will; I apologise.

The SPEAKER: Can you speak into your microphone; it is very difficult to hear you.

The Hon. P. CAICA: Yes, Madam Speaker. The Adelaide Gaol dates from 1841 and along with Government House is one of the—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Bragg for the second time.

The Hon. P. CAICA: Is it only the second time? I find that surprising. Along with Government House, Adelaide Gaol is one of the oldest public buildings in Adelaide. The gaol is an important part of early South Australian history providing a unique glimpse of 19th century colonial life and architecture. Today I am pleased to inform members that the government has provided $400,000 to undertake priority restoration works at the gaol and help preserve the fabric of this iconic heritage complex.

Conservation works have been carried out over the past 12 months with the first significant round of work completed in January this year. This work enabled the western wall of the semi-protected inmates cellblock, a two-storey stone building with distinctive symmetrical arches, to be restored. I had a look at it this morning and it looks fantastic. It also included repointing the stone piers and replacing the circular louvred air vents, a distinctive characteristic of that particular building.

The original women's cell, built in 1848, underwent extensive stabilisation work which included damp coursing, repointing of the brickwork and limestone wall, doorway reconstruction, window and external bar grille restoration, painting of the external surfaces and the removal of deteriorated fixtures. In addition, a cell in the female prisoners' yard was restored.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. P. CAICA: No it's not. It's not embarrassing at all. You should go down there. What I found very interesting—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, please don't respond to interjections across the floor.

The Hon. P. CAICA: I won't, Madam Speaker. A cell in the female prisoners' yard was restored, as I mentioned before I was rudely interrupted, to provide an example of how the building looked during colonial times. The red bricks in the arch support were replaced and repointed, stone mortar was replaced in the main wall and the cell door was restored and repainted in the heritage colour scheme of the period.

I am very pleased to report that the latest round of conservation works has now been completed. This work was carried out on several buildings including further restoration of stonework on the semi-protected inmates cellblock, stone coping and pointing on the laneway building and replacing shoulder stones of the 1879 new building. I am also advised that further restoration work on the 1841 administration building and the gaol's distinctive towers will commence shortly.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: They are testing my patience if no-one else's, Madam Speaker.

The Hon. J.M. Rankine: They wanted to knock down Old Parliament House, too.

The Hon. P. CAICA: That's right. Did they want to knock it down?

The SPEAKER: Minister, get on with your answer.

The Hon. P. CAICA: Madam Speaker, I am attempting to do so.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P. CAICA: These conservation works have been supported by DENR and DTEI with cooperation and assistance from the Adelaide Gaol Preservation Society. I just want to touch on the preservation society for a very short time. It is made up entirely of volunteers—and, of course, as highlighted earlier, we very much value our volunteers across the state.

The society assists with guided night tours, runs a souvenir shop and provides a valuable tourist and educational service for visitors. I am told that the society also contributed some of its own funds towards the conservation work. I recently had the pleasure of presenting a Heritage Heroes Award to members of the Adelaide Gaol Preservation Society recognising their significant contribution in helping make the Adelaide Gaol accessible to the people of South Australia.

Some of the members of this group have been involved with the society for 20 years, which demonstrates their outstanding commitment. I encourage all members to take advantage of the opportunity to acquaint themselves more closely with this fascinating site. It is visited by many local, interstate and international tourists, and it is also a popular educational resource for schools.

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