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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-23 Daily Xml
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NORTH EAST RESIDENTS ACTION GROUP

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:32): Today I would like to pay tribute to local activists, in particular members of the North East Residents Action Group, or NERAG, as it is affectionately known out our way. Incorporated in 1999, the group originally came together to oppose the building of a four-storey venue on North East Road, opposite Tea Tree Plaza, designed to facilitate 24-hour gambling. It is a testament to their determination and commitment that they opposed the then council's willingness to promote the proposal and worked in a united fashion, through many presentations to local government bodies and even to the Liquor Licensing Court, to prevail and be successful in opposing the facility.

With the support of the Hon. Nick Xenophon and Reverend Tim Costello, among others, the proposal was eventually defeated—one of only a few I know of that has been unsuccessful. The community has benefited in that the proposed site is now an extension to the City of Tea Tree Gully Library, a well-loved and well-used facility; also home to the Tea Tree Gully Toy Library, another well-loved and well-used facility (mostly run by volunteers) that services over 600 families.

NERAG has not felt the need to meet to galvanise local support on any other issue until now, when in response to disquiet on the issue of parking fees at Modbury Hospital a significant number of community complaints necessitated some leadership. A public rally took place on the steps of Parliament House on 18 October, just prior to the announcement by our new Premier of the first two hours to be free at outdoor hospital car parks. Still a topic for conjecture, parking issues will be the topic of a public meeting NERAG will hold in the Florey electorate on Friday 25 November at 7pm, which I will attend.

It has been possible to secure speakers from government departments to discuss parking issues from all angles, as on Smart Road, in the heart of the Modbury regional centre, is where we have what could be described as a perfect storm of parking issues. Along the section of Smart Road from the Reservoir Road roundabout to Australia Avenue, we have Modbury Hospital's general and accident and emergency entrances opposite Westfield Tea Tree Plaza entrances. Further along, the new GP Plus Super Clinic and Westfield rooftop car park entrances are almost aligned where the road narrows.

We then have the O-Bahn park-and-ride parking areas not far from where the O-Bahn buses enter Smart Road, adjacent to the TAFE car park; another busy area not far from another hotspot on Smart Road, which is the Ardtornish school. These busy locations see a good deal of the demand for car parking spaces. While the issue of charging at hospitals has been somewhat ameliorated, there are still concerns about the principle of such charges irrespective of the interstate conventions and, indeed, those in place at our South Australian hospitals like the RAH and the WCH.

What is also of great concern is that those who use Hampstead and the Repat are often those least able to afford any additional expenditure, notwithstanding a regime of exemptions is in place—although I am told that the exemption system is cumbersome and could be costing more to operate than it raises. But it is the wider question around parking that is occupying NERAG'S energies lately: who is actually responsible?

Government institutions, such as the Modbury Hospital and TAFE, have on-site parking arguably enough to service the users of these facilities. Finding a spot in Westfield's Tea Tree Plaza car park is notorious amongst locals, though. At peak times of the year and the shopping week it is seen as being a difficult task. Pressure on the soon to be enlarged O-Bahn parking areas has seen nearby side streets not designed to carry such traffic filled with cars.

Council has the difficult task of responsibility for these side streets and policing inappropriate parking or overstaying in areas, such as Westfield's Tea Tree Plaza car park, and now even in its own car park at the civic centre. So, it really is time to have a close look at all the implications of parking, particularly if we as a society want to avoid seeing charges for car parking in shopping centres as well.

If the only reason for such a charge is the churn or turnover rate, then the first two hours (while it may seem reasonable) is often not long enough to transact business in a vast shopping mall or busy outpatients' area. If the community is to understand the drivers around charging at either public or private venues, then it would be good to have the information about what it costs to provide parking so that we can measure whether revenue raising is really the underlying motive or simply a by-product.

We all well remember the outcry when the new Adelaide Airport parking charges started. People were vociferous for some time but eventually accepted charges as part of the airport trip, although I know that the success of the J1 and J2 public transport routes meant that many people felt able to make the trip without taking the car.

There is no doubt that greater planning must go into parking issues, especially in regional centres, such as Modbury and Marion. Overwhelmingly people ask only for a fair go and appreciate the costs associated with running the state's health system and the work the government has put into planning for the future, particularly in the area of preventive health, and really feel that the user should only be asked to pay a reasonable amount to turn over car parking spaces rather than contribute to the bottom line. Groups such as NERAG are active on our behalf, and we owe them a debt of gratitude and our support in their endeavours.

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