House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-09-23 Daily Xml

Contents

Pinky Flat

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:10): Supplementary to the Premier: does the Premier acknowledge Pinky Flat is an area of cultural significance to Kaurna people and that they have some say in what might be going on at Pinky Flat?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (15:10): I thank the member for Florey for her question. She's quite right: this is a very important area of South Australia. Karrawirra Parri is very important to the Kaurna people, in fact to all South Australians, but in particular the Kaurna people, and Pinky Flat—

Ms Bedford interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I'm not sure why the member for Florey thinks that that's sad. I think it's a very important of our state. Under the previous government, we know that they were working with the then Adelaide City Council and had all sorts of developments at Pinky Flat, all sorts of parties at Pinky Flat. I remember an urban beach. I think the member for Lee was in charge of the area at the time, and he thought it was a good idea. Nobody in South Australia thought it was a good idea. Nobody actually grabbed their towel and went down to Pinky Flat for a dip in the Torrens. It didn't work out very well apparently. But we are very cognisant of the importance of that area, and we haven't put an event like that, that provided—

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will resume his seat. The member for Lee rises on a point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Mr Speaker, I take exception to that. I have never swum off any landing at Pinky Flat and I ask the Premier to withdraw.

The SPEAKER: Order! It's a bogus point of order. The member for Lee is warned. The Premier has the call.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: What I was referring to, of course, was that there was an urban beach put in place, funded by the previous government at Pinky Flat. We didn't think that was a particularly appropriate use of Pinky flat—those opposite thought that it was—and so I just raise that point. We know that it is extraordinarily important. As the Deputy Premier has pointed out, she is the Minister for Planning within our government. There is some work being done with regard to the planning arrangements on the southern side of the river. Last time I looked on a map, Pinky Flat happened to be on the northern side, but in this topsy-turvy world maybe people are getting a little bit confused.

I make the point that the work that is being done in planning at the moment is for the southern side, and we do think that it is very important to make sure that that Pinky Flat area is appropriately utilised. There have been various uses for that area in the past. I have highlighted one. There have been others when the previous government was in power, when I think that they had some Fringe activities on the site. In fact, I think the Royal Croquet Club at one stage was at Pinky Flat.

These were all things that were presided over by the previous government. I am not aware of any such activation that we have presided over, but I just assure the member that we recognise how important that area is, as is the entire river, Karrawirra Parri, not only to Aboriginal people but to all South Australians. It is a very important part of our state, a very precious part of our state, and we take our responsibilities in that regard very seriously.

As I have pointed out, the work that the Deputy Premier is doing at the moment out for consultation is with regard to the Riverbank Precinct on that southern side of the river.