HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-09-17 Daily Xml
Contents
Xml

Gladstone Gaol

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart) (14:55): My question is to the Minister for Environment and Heritage. Can the minister update my Gladstone community and the Gladstone Community Development and Tourism Association regarding the future of the Gladstone Gaol? With your leave, and that of the house, sir, I will explain a bit further.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: On Sunday 24 August, a meeting was held at Gladstone, with the minister, where the association presented their annual action plan for 2025 onwards, where it was stated that the government was going out for expressions of interest for people to operate the facility as a tourism and community asset. The Gladstone Community Development and Tourism Association would like to be part of the future direction of the Gladstone Gaol.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Minister for Workforce and Population Strategy) (14:56): Yes, obviously the two of us were at that meeting, which was an excellent opportunity to have a conversation about the future of the jail, also with the mayor and with the head of the Department for Environment and Water. If I can characterise the requests of the association, or the actions that have arisen subsequently, $100,000 has been allocated to heritage improvements of the site at House 1, particularly about the reroofing that's required to protect that. While not answering all of the challenges for the location, I think that the association was pleased to be aware of that.

Another challenge that has been raised is the question of the pigeons, which is a problem that is existing far and wide. They have taken up residence in the jail, and the environment department has agreed to take that into its responsibilities through its asset management services in order to try to address those. Another question, as the member has raised specifically, is around the expression of interest that has been, I think, long-awaited, it would be fair to say, and I have referred to it in answers to questions previously that the member has raised here.

There has been, as a result of the meeting that we had, a further meeting now with a more senior person within the department and the association to talk them through what the expression of interest looks like, because it's important before it goes out the association is comfortable with that. I understand it is now expected that expressions of interest will go public in early October. I think the association is reasonably comfortable with that timeline and also with the contents.

A further question that was raised was around their desire to establish a community garden outside the walls of the jail. The department has undertaken to work with the council in finding an appropriate location. I think that the original location that's been identified has probably got some asbestos or some other challenge associated with it, but there's plenty of land around there, so the department will work with the association and with the council to identify that.

A final suggestion that was made, which I thought was an excellent one by the association, was whether there's the capacity to do some trade training in some of those more heritage trades, for people learning to be glaziers, bricklayers, stonemasons, and so on, to come up and do some work on the jail so that they get the opportunity to test their skills, but also the jail benefits from that.

There is a similar project that occurs currently at the Adelaide Gaol. So the department has undertaken that they will work to see if they can replicate that at Gladstone in order to be able, as I say, not only to benefit those who are learning those trades but also to benefit the fabric of the jail, which certainly needs a lot more love and attention than it has received for some time.

Work on all five of those that are of importance to the association and to you as the local member will advance the cause of the jail again being celebrated and understood. The fact that that open day was so well attended really demonstrates that there is a potential very great interest in people going to see the jail. So I very much look forward to hearing an update on each of those as they roll out, but I know the member will be paying even closer attention than I will and will be calling me and my department to account if it's not going as fast and as well as he would expect.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT