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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-11-17 Daily Xml
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Appropriation Bill 2020

Estimates Committees

The Legislative Council gave leave to the Treasurer (Hon. R.I. Lucas), the Minister for Human Services (Hon. J.M.A. Lensink) and the Minister for Health and Wellbeing (Hon. S.G. Wade) to attend and give evidence before the estimates committees of the House of Assembly on the Appropriation Bill if they think fit.

Appropriation Grievances

Adjourned debate on motion to note grievances resumed on motion.

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (17:49): I rise to raise two of many critical planning and development issues in my electorate of Badcoe. Way back before the last election when I was just a new candidate, Le Cornu had just announced it would be shutting down and selling its iconic Forestville site, not to be confused with its other iconic site—though really rather infamous—at North Adelaide.

It was quite a sad time in our area because, much like the products it made, Le Cornu had become a part of the furniture in Forestville and a landmark location. As the Labor candidate, I doorknocked extensively through Forestville, as well as Keswick and Ashford, asking people what future they saw for the site. We distributed a survey as well and got hundreds of responses back. At that stage, the former Labor government was examining the zoning for the site and the site to the south of the Hungry Jack's on Anzac Highway.

Initially, some eight storeys or more were proposed by the government for both sites, but, as I doorknocked and spoke with locals, it emerged that six storeys with substantial setbacks and dropdowns to four and two storeys was more acceptable to local people and to the special needs of our area. I then lobbied the then planning minister, armed with feedback from my community, and we achieved the lower maximum heights. The government also rezoned the site to mixed use, which was more in keeping with the modern use of the land and its potential.

We then saw German supermarket giant Kaufland purchase the site in 2018 and announce plans to build their flagship store. I approached Kaufland and asked them to engage with our community and they did, holding community meetings with me. There were many issues raised with Kaufland about traffic, parking, tree cover and selection, the emergency thoroughfare and boom gates, and the truck delivery bay. Kaufland made design changes to all those elements and also conducted a second traffic study to pick up on the intense use of the area when the showground markets are on on a Sunday.

I felt the company really went to some lengths to understand our neighbourhood and how its business could add to our community and not detract from it. By the end of the design process, we had a renewable energy-powered building with more trees, ample undercroft carparking, electric vehicle charging stations, more attractive street facades, better traffic and truck access and, very importantly, a business that would hire 100 local people.

It would be a lie to say that everyone 100 per cent supported the project, but all in all it was a productive process that people felt engaged in and I was really pleased to be a part of that. The local staff who worked for Kaufland, including Brianna and John, should be commended for the constructive attitude they took. It was a model approach from a multinational business, and I hope that other companies, or indeed government agencies, seeking to build in our neighbourhood might approach setting up in our community in the same way.

So it was a shock and bitterly disappointing for Forestville and surrounding suburbs when Kaufland announced its departure in February. After being on the market for the best part of the year, Renewal SA purchased the site just a month or so ago. Since March, I have been again conducting quite detailed research with my community about what they want built on the site.

Hundreds of surveys have been returned in response to the question: what do you see as the future of the Le Cornu site? The top response has been—and the member for West Torrens might identify with this—for a new school, a primary or secondary school, on the nine-hectare site. That is little wonder, considering that our community recently had its school zoning changed, meaning many people who were promised by this government and the last that they would be able to attend CBD high schools have now had that promise ripped from them, and that still burns in Badcoe.

Another reason why people are so strongly advocating for a school is that the South Road upgrade may well see the demolition of popular primary schools in our area that are already quite full. Obviously, people want their children to be able to go to a public school locally, so their suggestion that this site be used for an educational campus is a well-founded one.

The other suggestion at the top of the list is for a sports and recreation complex, that is, open green space. The City of Unley has the lowest level of open green space of any council area, so it stands to reason that local people want to see greater and more green space, more trees and more opportunity for outdoor exercise.

There is a range of other suggestions from my community, including a mixed-use development not dissimilar to what Kaufland proposed, and there are even suggestions for an ice hockey rink or the Crows new headquarters. In any case, I am keen for my community to be granted genuine opportunities to advance what they want in their backyard as Renewal SA progresses any plans for the area.

I know that the media has published that Renewal SA intends to build high-density housing on the site, but nothing like that has been communicated to our electorate or to me as the local MP in the area. I would hope that the door is not closed on the future of this most precious parcel of land and what it will look like in the future.

I would also like to talk about another development in my area, that of the Life Care aged-care facility at Everard Park. This project came to light about a year ago with Life Care approaching the City of Unley. This is the same developer whose three other projects in the eastern suburbs have had to be drastically reduced after community outrage. The developer proposed to pay for a development amendment itself—so pay the council to have a new higher zoning decreed over the plot of land it owns on Norman Terrace at Everard Park.

Life Care wanted to build a five-storey complex at the site plus plant and equipment on top, in what is largely a single-storey, well-established neighbourhood. To say this was opposed by local people is a gross understatement. When the proposal went to council, a whopping 309 submissions were lodged—all opposing this development. People in my community are not opposed to development per se and they are very supportive of the need for refreshed aged care, but projects such as this one are simply too much for a small area.

Reasons for their opposition included the stress that it will put on our narrow streets, the existing lack of street parking, the difficulty for emergency vehicles to access the site, light spill and overshadowing, and the population density created by packing so many more people and workers onto the site. All of this information was advanced to the council, yet stunningly, even the locally elected councillors who were meant to represent the views of people who put them on the council voted against the local residents' wishes. Their reasons were not articulated.

At a community meeting I held about the development in Everard Park a few weeks ago, one ward councillor, Emma Wright, came along, and good on her. At the meeting, after about 45 minutes of people expressing their anger at their own councillors not representing their views, Councillor Wright stepped forward, identified herself and apologised to people. She told them she had made a mistake and she should not have voted for the development. She was very apologetic. Good on her. It was probably pretty hard to admit that she got it wrong to 80 angry people, but unfortunately it is cold comfort to the people who now have to put up with this.

I held that meeting in the park to update myself on people's views before I presented to the ERDC last week. The council approved four-storey development, plus plant and equipment on top, was approved by the minister a few weeks ago. Again, the minister ignored those 300 public submissions from our area. Again, all the effort they put in was ignored. It is bad enough that the minister signed off on the development without making any changes to recognise what local people wanted, but we found out that the government actually pushed to increase the height and allow even greater density than the four storeys.

Sitting extended beyond 18:00 on motion of Hon. S.J.R. Patterson.

Ms STINSON: That was incredibly offensive. It is an insult to the community of Everard Park that the government would seek not only to brush aside their well-founded concerns but to actually impose an even greater burden on this community when they are already vehemently opposed to the development. After I presented the views of my community to the ERDC, a motion was moved by a Labor member of the committee, supported by the Greens, to recommend that the minister reduce the height on the site to three storeys, a move that would have ameliorated, though not erased, the concerns.

Similar motions have been supported in the past by government members on the ERDC, so it would not have been that controversial—but, no, the government members of the committee did not support asking the minister to take a second look. Yet again, local people in Everard Park were ignored. They feel ripped off. They feel that all this consultation that went on is a hoax and that the developer, who was willing to pay for a process, always had the deck stacked in their favour.

It is a really poor result in terms of planning. What is more disappointing is that it has damaged the Everard Park community's faith in the process. They have been let down by their councillors, let down by the minister and let down by the government members on the committee. To rub salt into the wound, when the new Planning and Design Code came out for the suburb just a few weeks ago, before the ERDC had even met, there was a little section carved out already for five storeys on the Life Care site. It all speaks to a fait accompli and a process that local people could not have ever hoped to influence, and that is disgraceful.

To the local residents, I can only say that I have fought this battle side by side with you. I have done my best to represent your views and to ensure you are heard, and I am sorry it has not resulted in change. Nevertheless, I will continue to work with you as the development plan for this site is lodged, and we will see if there are any opportunities to make better a bad situation.

Motion carried.

Estimates Committees

The Hon. S.J.R. PATTERSON (Morphett—Member of the Executive Council, Minister for Trade and Investment) (18:01): I move:

That the proposed expenditures for the departments and services contained in the Appropriation Bill be referred to Estimates Committees A and B for examination and report by 25 November, in accordance with the following timetables:

APPROPRIATION BILL 2020

TIMETABLE FOR ESTIMATES COMMITTEES

ESTIMATES COMMITTEE A

WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER AT 9.00 AM

Premier

Legislative Council

House of Assembly

Joint Parliamentary Services

Administered Items for Joint Parliamentary Services

State Governor's Establishment

Auditor-General's Department

Department of the Premier and Cabinet

Administered Items for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet

Premier Other Items

Defence SA

South Australian Tourism Commission

THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER AT 12.00 noon

Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development

Department of Primary Industries and Regions

Administered Items for the Department of Primary Industries and Regions

FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER AT 9.00 AM

Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services

Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (part)

Administered Items for the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (part)

Administered Items for the Department of Treasury and Finance (part)

South Australia Police

Administered Items for South Australia Police

Department for Correctional Services

Minister for Child Protection

Department for Child Protection

MONDAY 23 NOVEMBER AT 1.00 PM

Attorney-General

Minister for Planning and Local Government

Courts Administration Authority

Attorney-General's Department

Administered Items for the Attorney-General's Department

Electoral Commission of South Australia

Administered Items for Electoral Commission of South Australia

TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER AT 9.00 AM

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (part)

Administered Items for the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (part)

Minister for Energy and Mining

Department of Energy and Mining (part)

ESTIMATES COMMITTEE B

WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER AT 9.00 AM

Treasurer

Department of Treasury and Finance

Administered Items for the Department of Treasury and Finance (part)

THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER AT 12.00 noon

Minister for Innovation and Skills

Department for Innovation and Skills

Administered Items for the Department for Innovation and Skills

FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER AT 9.00 AM

Minister for Human Services

Department of Human Services

Administered Items for the Department of Human Services

Minister for Health and Wellbeing

Department for Health and Wellbeing

Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health

Wellbeing SA

MONDAY 23 NOVEMBER AT 1.00 PM

Minister for Education

Department for Education

Administered Items for the Department for Education

TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER AT 9.00 AM

Minister for Trade and Investment

Department for Trade and Investment

Minister for Environment and Water

Department for Environment and Water

Administered Items for the Department for Environment and Water

Green Industries SA

Department for Energy and Mining (part)

Motion carried.

The Hon. S.J.R. PATTERSON: I move:

That Estimates Committee A be appointed, consisting of Mr Treloar, Mr Cregan, Dr Harvey, Ms Luethen, Mr Malinauskas, the Hon. A. Piccolo and Mr Szakacs.

Motion carried.

The Hon. S.J.R. PATTERSON: I move:

That Estimates Committee B be appointed, consisting of Mr Cowdrey, Mr Ellis, Mr Gee, Ms Michaels, Mr Murray, Mr Pederick and the Hon. S.C. Mullighan.

Motion carried.


At 18:02 the house adjourned until Wednesday 25 November 2020 at 10:30.

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