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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-02-08 Daily Xml
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Bills

Ayers House Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading (resumed on motion).

Ms CLANCY (Elder) (15:40): Despite Liberal Party promises made prior to the 2018 election to support the National Trust master plan for Ayers House and promises to provide government investment, the member for Black made the decision to evict one of the state's most respected public charities that has faithfully served the community at Ayers House for 50 years.

The National Trust has 6,000 members across 45 local branches and over 1,000 registered volunteers across South Australia who keep its properties maintained and open to the public. These numbers are an indication of how much the South Australian public value the preservation of their heritage. It was no surprise when the eviction was announced to see a broad cross-section of the community rise up in opposition to the member for Black's plan.

Despite Liberal Party claims to the contrary, the plan was not to restore Ayers House to its 'former glory' with a $6.6 million renovation. Rather, the plan was to transform South Australia's largest and most intact Victorian mansion into a government office building, thereby removing community access and public participation in its maintenance and restoration works. And despite comments made at the time by the former Liberal government, Ayers House did not sit passively on North Terrace—just ask the dance floor when there has been a wedding there that I have attended—in disrepair, awaiting regeneration in the form of increased business usage and bureaucratic work cubicles but provided access to school and community groups each and every week, year after year, decade after decade, to a public with a strong desire to experience and learn about the heritage of this Victorian gem.

This bill expands upon Don Dunstan's vision by granting Ayers House to the National Trust as a permanent home, ensuring the trust is safe from the reactionary whim of any future minister. An Ayers House act will maintain the minister as the registered owner of Ayers House on the certificate of title; give the National Trust permanent care, control and management of Ayers House; and allow the National Trust to generate income to further support its operations.

A visit to Ayers House is a rite of passage for school students in South Australia, offering hands-on learning activities and the chance to experience a unique historic place unlike any other. I, and the rest of the Malinauskas Labor government, proudly welcome the opportunity to restore the National Trust to Ayers House and ensure it is once again opened for the next generation of South Australian children to visit and for all South Australians to enjoy. I commend this bill to the house.

Mr BATTY (Bragg) (15:42): I rise to speak on the Ayers House Bill 2023 and indicate that I am the opposition's lead speaker on this bill and that the opposition will be supporting this bill. Ayers House is without a doubt a property of great significance to South Australia. The state heritage listed building and its grounds boast a deep history—

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): Order! The member for Bragg has the call.

Mr BATTY: Thank you, sir. The state heritage listed building on North Terrace and its grounds boast a very deep history amongst past South Australian leaders, and over some of that time the community have been able to experience the grandeur of Ayers House as a museum venue. Its unique setting on North Terrace affords Ayers House significant prominence in the CBD nestled amongst our cultural institutions including the Art Gallery of South Australia, the South Australian Museum and the State Library of South Australia. It is something that should not only be protected, something that should not only be preserved but something that should be celebrated as a cultural icon.

The Liberal Party, the party of heritage, has always supported measures to protect and preserve Ayers House. The reimagining of the city's north-eastern sector, especially as a result of the previous Liberal government's significant investment in Lot Fourteen, presented the previous government with an opportunity to consider how Ayers House could be used into the future and how it can be best celebrated and enjoyed by South Australians into the future.

The previous government actually had a vision. We had a vision to turn Ayers House into one of the city's great cultural institutions, and we put our money where our mouth is. If we go back and have a look at the 2021-22 state budget, the Marshall Liberal government at that time committed $6.6 million to upgrade, restore and revitalise this wonderful icon.

I look forward to exploring, soon, exactly how that money has been spent over the last couple of years, or perhaps not been spent over the past couple of years, because this funding was one of the most significant investments in a heritage building in the state's history. It was intended to sensitively restore the property to its former glory, removing asbestos, upgrading air conditioning and providing equitable access by providing disability access. The restoration was to follow the principles of the Burra Charter, along with the Ayers House Conservation Management Plan, ensuring the heritage values of Ayers House would not be impacted.

During that previous term of government, the National Trust was a tenant of Ayers House. Although they had a museum operating there and occasionally held events there—including during history week, which is fantastic—the premises were primarily used as office space for the National Trust as well as storage for various collections of the National Trust. The expiry of the National Trust's lease at Ayers House at that time provided the previous government with an opportunity: an opportunity to reimagine the use and vision for Ayers House as the premier destination it should be, located in that ever-growing cultural precinct on North Terrace, adjacent to the new Lot Fourteen development.

It was envisaged that Ayers House could be enlivened for the public and could be used for a variety of events. So, on this side of the house at that time, you saw not only a vision for Ayers House, not only a plan for Ayers House, but the money to realise that plan. This all came to a grinding halt with the election a couple of years ago of the Malinauskas Labor government, who seem to have other plans, which seemingly have included Ayers House to be sat there, languishing for the past two years, before we finally see this bill come before the house today.

This bill will give the National Trust the permanent care, control and management of Ayers House. It will maintain the minister as the registered owner of Ayers House on the certificate of title, and it will allow the National Trust to generate income to support its operation through leases, licences and other activities within Ayers House but also render the National Trust liable for all claims related to Ayers House.

So, after sitting there languishing for the first two years of the Malinauskas Labor government, we see this bill before the house now. What we do not see from the Malinauskas Labor government, though, what we do not see from the minister's second reading speech, for example, and what we have not heard in this place, is what the grand plan is. There is no vision from the Malinauskas Labor government on what Ayers House should be. It is simply handing it over to the National Trust. We do not hear what they are going to be doing to the property; we do not hear from the minister what their vision is.

But I do know. I do know because I have spent the last 18 months engaging with the National Trust. I have met with successive CEOs of the National Trust, including Darren Peacock and Stuart McNabb. I thank both of them for their time over the past 18 months, as well as the President of the National Trust, Paul Leadbeter, whom I have had the privilege of talking to about this bill over the past little while, about what the National Trust's plans are for the property and what their vision is for the property. It is all stuff I would have hoped to have heard from the member for Elder, and perhaps from the minister in the second reading speech. There is no vision from those opposite; there is just no vision.

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): Order! The member for Bragg has the call.

Mr BATTY: I genuinely hope that the National Trust's plans and visions for Ayers House will be realised—I genuinely hope they will. The National Trust are a wonderful institution and they will hopefully do a wonderful job of managing this cultural icon. But I do hope it is not simply an attempt by this minister, by this government, to simply wash their hands of Ayers House, simply passing the buck for the upkeep and the responsibility of Ayers House to the National Trust and also basically ceding any power at all over how Ayers House might be able to be enjoyed by the public.

Other than an obligation to provide public access to Ayers House, which of course is critical and very important, there is no other obligation—

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): Order, members on my right! The member for Bragg is attempting to give a speech on this bill. Other members have had their opportunity and will have their opportunity to provide their own contributions. I ask that the member for Bragg be heard in silence.

Mr BATTY: I know talking about heritage upsets the Labor Party—

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): Please don't respond to the interjections.

Mr BATTY: I know it upsets them, because they like to pretend they are the party of heritage. They like to say one thing about heritage before the election and do the complete opposite after. The Liberal Party is the party of heritage here. We had a plan to protect and restore Ayers House to make sure it was celebrated as the cultural icon that it should be. They just sat there doing nothing for the last two years before we see the member for Elder stand up now two years down the track and pretend to care about heritage in this place. So I genuinely hope this is not just another attempt by the Malinauskas government—

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): There is a point of order from the member for Elder.

Ms CLANCY: Point of order: section 25. I find that offensive and I would ask the member to please apologise and withdraw.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): I am sorry, what has the member said that is offensive?

Ms CLANCY: He said that I am pretending to care about heritage, and I work incredibly hard in that space in my electorate.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): Thank you. I invite the member to withdraw and apologise.

Mr BATTY: I withdraw and apologise, sir.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): Thank you. Let's move on.

Mr BATTY: I do understand the sensitivity on that side of the house.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Brown): Let's move on, member for Bragg.

Mr BATTY: We only have to take, for example, the minister for heritage's commitment before the last election that we would not see the demolition of any state heritage listed property in South Australia. She made that comment I think in February, about one month before the last election, and it was very well received probably by the member for Elder who I know deeply cares about heritage. Unfortunately, we fast forward, and not very long—it took her about five minutes since becoming the member for heritage to break that promise and put the bulldozer through the Thebarton Barracks. What is next?

When it comes to the Labor Party and heritage, they like to say one thing about it, but we judge based on actions. The actions of the Malinauskas Labor government when it comes to protecting heritage property is putting the bulldozer through state heritage listed properties. It is fast-tracking legislation in this place to demolish our heritage laws. They have made an absolute mockery of the very system that is meant to protect heritage-listed properties, so I do understand the member for Elder's sensitivity on this. Nevertheless, I do apologise for her and for the actions that we saw from this minister putting the bulldozer through state heritage listed buildings, despite promising not to do so.

I genuinely hope this is not just another attempt to push heritage to one side and pass the buck when it comes to heritage in South Australia and to pass the buck when it comes to caring for Ayers House, because that would be a great shame. Ayers House is something that should not only be protected but be used and celebrated. Unfortunately, I do worry because we do know that the Malinauskas Labor government's attitude to heritage in South Australia is very different. They simply do not care about it. They will say one thing before an election and then they will do something completely different after an election.

It is not just state heritage listed buildings that those opposite seem hellbent on putting the bulldozer through, they show total disrespect for how we protect local heritage as well. We have a Minister for Planning who has been sitting on the Planning System Implementation Review now for coming on a year, I think, that it has been sitting on his desk. I am hoping that that review has very important recommendations in it about how we can better protect local heritage in South Australia, how we can protect heritage homes and character areas and suburbs like Eastwood and Toorak Gardens in my own electorate, and in suburbs like Beulah Park in the electorate of Dunstan, where I was doorknocking on the weekend.

There are beautiful character homes and a genuine concern for protecting heritage homes in that suburb, for preserving the character of those areas, growing a tree canopy. We heard about the need for a strategic approach to protecting heritage in these areas, for a simple process for listing heritage homes, protecting them, perhaps a single heritage minister and a single heritage act, or whether we need to revisit character areas and historical areas to make sure they are capturing everything we need them to do.

Here in the Liberal Party we have a plan to preserve these suburbs like Beulah Park. We want to protect the character of them, their unique history and heritage that I saw on the weekend. However, as long as we have a Minister for Planning who will not release a planning system implementation review, which has been sitting on his desk for a year, all these homes in my electorate, in the electorate of Dunstan, right across Adelaide, remain under threat. So I use this as an opportunity, once again, to call on the Minister for Planning to release the Planning System Implementation Review, the expert report, that we are all eagerly awaiting.

To conclude, I have serious concerns about exactly what the plan is for Ayers House. It is disappointing that instead of coming into this house with a coherent vision of what we want to see the property turn into, it is simply washing our hands of Ayers House, handing it over to the National Trust. The National Trust does have some plans—and I genuinely hope they will be realised—but I do worry, because unfortunately we have a government that does not care about heritage and that might not support the National Trust in their very worthy ambitions for the property.

We do not want to see Ayers House languish any longer, as it has done for the past couple of years. It is an icon in our key cultural precinct and it should be preserved and protected. Most importantly, it should be celebrated and enjoyed by South Australians.

Ms HOOD (Adelaide) (15:57): I rise today in support of the Ayers House Bill, and would like to begin with a quote:

Never has any minister shown such disrespect to this predominantly volunteer-operated organisation.

That was a quote from Dr Darren Peacock, Chief Executive of the National Trust South Australia, in relation to the now opposition leader's and Liberal Party's treatment of the National Trust.

This legislation would not actually have even been necessary if it were not for the former Marshall Liberal government seeking to evict the National Trust from Ayers House on a whim in 2021. I, along with my community, could not believe what was happening when we learnt that the member for Black, the then environment minister, David Spiers, issued the National Trust with a 31-day eviction notice. For an iconic institution like the National Trust to be treated with such disrespect is truly egregious.

I actually feel like I am repeating myself, because this is all starting to sound rather familiar. Just yesterday the opposition leader was attacking the Adelaide Botanic Gardens board because they dared question the opposition leader's misleading 'picnic tax' campaign about entry fees at the garden. I am not sure what the Liberal opposition has against these two highly respected institutions, but here we are establishing a bill to prevent the future whims of the Liberal government.

The National Trust should rightly be revered. It has been promoting and protecting our South Australian heritage since 1955. With more than 1,000 registered volunteers and more than 5,000 members, the National Trust is an integral part of the South Australian community. The time and efforts from the National Trust and their volunteers would be the equivalent of millions of dollars of work supporting South Australian heritage. Often acclaimed as one of the most cost-effective managers of heritage places in Australia, the National Trust remains the obvious choice to continue its lease in Ayers House and yet, the Leader of the Opposition was so keen to dismantle Ayers House from the inside out.

Naturally, the National Trust launched a campaign vehemently opposed to the Marshall Liberal government's broken promises, with a petition calling on them to reverse the eviction notice and allow the trust to stay in the place it has called home for more than 50 years.

I will come back to that quote, because back in 2021 Dr Darren Peacock, the Chief Executive of the National Trust of South Australia, said, and I quote:

Everything we do is for the public benefit. Never has any Minister shown such disrespect to this predominantly volunteer-operated organisation.

Again, a wave of deja vu overcomes me. Only yesterday, I was reading quotes from the Presiding Member of the Adelaide Botanic Gardens Board who similarly wrote to the opposition leader asking them to retract claims that they were negatively impacting on the Adelaide Botanic Gardens' supporters and staff. Again, just to show a blatant disrespect.

The Ayers House Museum welcomes hundreds of thousands of local, interstate and international visitors every year, not to turn a profit, but because they care so deeply about SA heritage. But with David Speirs' plans to replace the beloved museum with government offices and extend private catering facilities, the National Trust were shocked by their sudden instruction to vacate from the property.

National Trust SA President, Deborah Morgan, even wrote to the former environment minister at the time and said, and I quote:

We are most disappointed that the Marshall Government has decided to renege on its commitments made to the National Trust prior to the last election in respect of the future of Ayers House.

She also told members, and I quote:

I consider that the Trust now has no option but to view the manner in which our tenancy was terminated as an invitation to battle with Minister Speirs.

The National Trust's campaign was heard loud and clear by the Malinauskas Labor team, and we made a commitment to the community to guarantee the tenure of the National Trust in Ayers House.

Now that we are in government, I am incredibly proud to be fulfilling this commitment. This act will prevent other South Australian ministers from doing what the Marshall Liberal government and David Speirs tried to do.

Further, this act will give the National Trust permanent care, control and management of Ayers House. It will also allow the National Trust, through licences, leases and other activities, to generate an income to support its operations. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

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