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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-05-13 Daily Xml
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WILLUNGA BASIN PROTECTION BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 18 February 2009. Page 1324.)

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (20:58): I rise on behalf of the opposition to speak to the Hon. Robert Brokenshire's bill. This bill, which was introduced by the Hon. Robert Brokenshire, would provide for the establishment of a committee to formulate a development plan for the Willunga Basin, and that plan would have a greater force in law than the Onkaparinga council development plan. The bill also proposes associated changes to the Development Act.

As members are well aware, the Hon. Robert Brokenshire was in another place at another time. He was a member of the Liberal Party and was very passionate in our party room at that time about the Southern Vales, Willunga Basin, McLaren Vale and, in particular, the electorate of Mawson, which he represented. He was always talking about his concerns with respect to urban sprawl and encroachment on that highly productive, iconic part of South Australia.

In fact, a number of people have made representations to me about their concerns with respect to the encroachment of housing developments in that area, where there is existing land use. Vignerons are trying to look after and attend to their crops—spray and harvest their grapes–and that is often done at night. There always seems to be conflict between the existing land use and landowners and the new houses and residents that have come into that area.

The Hon. Mr Brokenshire's bill is interesting, and it will be an interesting committee the way he proposes to set it up. I know that he put this on the record, but I would like to cover it again. The committee seems rather large but it would comprise: one member from the Onkaparinga council; one nominee by the minister with relevant development and planning expertise; two nominees from the McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association; one nominee of the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs; one nominee of the Southern Community Coalition; one nominee by the minster to represent the food producers, one to represent the local trade association and one to represent local environment groups; one nominee of the Southern Adelaide Economic Development Board; and one nominee of the Minister for Environment and Heritage.

It is a very broad based, all encompassing committee of people to develop this greater plan. When he introduced the bill, the Hon. Robert Brokenshire stated that when he had spoken to councillors from within the City of Onkaparinga, they had implied that they were not confident that they could continue to provide planning services to the expanding council, which is already the largest in South Australia. It was interesting to note, from comments made yesterday in addressing the Supply Bill, that Planning SA is struggling to provide services with a whole range of facilities to South Australia.

The minister has spoken often about the 30 year plan for South Australia and for greater Adelaide, yet it has not been tabled and I know from anecdotal evidence and whispers that I hear from within Planning SA that it is still some time away. I think we need to take a moment to consider that it is areas such as McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills and probably the Barossa Valley and a range of other sites around South Australia that are quite unique. As the urban sprawl from Adelaide encroaches upon them, it does make their existence somewhat more difficult.

This is especially so for McLaren Vale, and this particular bill talks about the Willunga Basin. I know that the member for Mawson (Leon Bignell) has referred to this area as the Holden of the South. It creates a lot of jobs, and a lot of employment, and to see it further encroached upon with extra residential pressure, it would seem to put the 'Holden of the South' under more pressure.

Likewise, we see that the member for Kavel, with Mount Barker in his area, is quite concerned about the high value, high rainfall, agricultural land which is going under houses, or which potentially the government would like to see go under houses, in that part of the Adelaide Hills. He has been very passionate about it and, in fact, has conducted some surveys within his own community. We are not surprised to find that there is overwhelming support for the Adelaide Hills, and particularly that area with high rainfall and highly productive agricultural land surrounding Mount Barker, not to be encroached on further.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Likewise, as the Hon. John Dawkins interjects, with the area at Concordia just east of Gawler. Again, that is an area of comparatively high rainfall compared to the rest of the state, with good agricultural land, and again we see this being under pressure from urban sprawl. The member for Schubert (Ivan Venning)—Baron of the Barossa—has also been very passionate about problems of urban sprawl and encroachment within the Barossa Valley.

We have had the conflict involving the Penrice mines, which is an important asset to South Australia, producing some high-grade stone, limestone for soda ash and a whole range of products of high value that are very important to the state. Of course, as that undertaking has expanded, it has impacted on the Barossa Valley itself. I think we can see several examples around the state where urban sprawl and encroachment or industrial development is starting to impact on these high value, high rainfall areas. We are seeing increasing climate change and, over recent times, declining rainfall in South Australia. Goyder's line, I suspect, sadly, has moved somewhat further south over the past few decades, so these areas become even more important as, if you like, food bowls for our state and for Australia.

One of the issues often talked about in greenhouse terms is food miles. How far does the food have to travel before it gets to our plate or to our table? Clearly, having areas such as these near Adelaide will provide opportunities for that food production to continue, not only the fine wines produced in the Willunga Basin but a whole range of other horticultural products.

Members would be aware that I was involved in a horticultural business before coming into parliament. In my travels overseas prior to coming to this place, I saw large cities the size of Adelaide, especially in Europe. In the hinterland around them, there is a cluster of highly productive land, greenhouses growing food such as vegetables—not the broadacre livestock running of sheep and cattle and broadacre crops that we are familiar with in Australia, but highly intensive agriculture in and around cities. They have a market, and they are close by. They often have water, and another country's water is not a problem.

We certainly have an increasing population. The government and the opposition broadly support the population growing to the goal of 2 million by 2030, or thereabouts. It will mean that the vast majority will be in and around Adelaide. I suspect that we will have more wastewater, and that has to be treated. If we develop these areas even further and protect them from urban sprawl, we have an opportunity to then look at some more intensive horticulture.

I recently did a tour through the Northern Expressway, which is a very impressive project. I commend those involved with the design and construction of the project. They are doing a great job. Some of the technology being used will deliver a very good road for the service of our state, but we need to look at it in the context of what the Hon. Robert Brokenshire is doing here with this bill. As I have said, it is a wonderful road and, right next to it, there is a centre pivot with a crop of potatoes and, a bit further down, this road goes right through the middle of a vineyard. I think the tragedy with that particular—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: That's probably the most productive and most populated area of the state.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I know that interjections are out of order, but my colleague the Hon. John Dawkins knows a lot about that area and, as he interjects, it goes through one of the most highly productive parts of our state. One of the tragedies with that road is that it has gone through some very highly productive land. There will be tremendous pressure on the land around that road to now be rezoned for either industrial or residential use simply because there is a road there.

We had questions today about Buckland Park, and we have extra development happening around Freeling. I think this bill not only recognises some issues in the Willunga Basin but it also identifies issues elsewhere in the state. I recall some time ago—in fact, it is probably 20-odd years ago when my father was on the local council in Bordertown, the Tatiara District Council—there were two sites to be chosen for an industrial estate. One was in some very highly fertile, clear land with basically no trees, flat and easy to manage; and one was in some very sandy, unproductive land.

In the end, the decision was made to buy the clear albeit more expensive land, because it was the easy option for council. I think it is about 2,000 acres (about 1,000 hectares) of highly productive land with relatively high rainfall that is now out of production. There would have been some sites elsewhere that were close to the highway, the town and to services for electricity, transport and water that would have provided opportunities and that high-value land could have been preserved.

The Liberal opposition is concerned that we have not seen the government's 30-year plan released at this stage. We have always been concerned about the encroachment of Adelaide onto high-value, high rainfall agricultural land, especially land that is close to the city, where a lot of our horticultural crops require a lot of hand labour. Of course, if we have people living close by, it is much easier for them to provide it. If it is a more remote and hostile environment, people do not want to live there.

We know about the difficulties that we have had in the Riverland—and, sadly, we have had tremendous difficulties with the water supply there—with getting itinerant workers to come in to harvest fruit. It has always been a problem. If those industries and the horticultural production were situated closer to a city and closer to a population base, it would make it much easier for the operators and owners of those properties to get people to come and harvest their crops.

The opposition intends to support the Hon. Robert Brokenshire, although we would suggest that this structure is probably going to be somewhat cumbersome. By supporting this bill the opposition is indicating to the South Australian community that it is very concerned about lack of protection for these high-value, high rainfall parts of the state's iconic areas. As I said, the government's 30 year plan for Adelaide has yet to be released, and the Liberal Party wants to indicate to the community that it is serious about protecting those areas; it is important that they are preserved. The opposition supported the government's Residential Code, and it fully supports the concept of transport oriented developments in the city and at the end of our railway lines and transport corridors, so that the pressures sprawling into these high-value areas can be alleviated. With those few words I indicate that the opposition supports the Hon. Robert Brokenshire's bill.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

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