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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-03-25 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE PARKS, TREES AND GARDENS

The Hon. DAVID WINDERLICH (16:33): I move:

1. That the Legislative Council establish a select committee to inquire into and report upon the future sustainability of Adelaide’s urban forest of parks, trees and gardens and, in particular:

(a) the economic, social, health, community and ecological benefits of parks, trees and gardens;

(b) inefficiencies and inequities in water restrictions;

(c) the impact of council and state planning policies;

(d) measures to help reduce the water use of parks, trees and gardens while still maintaining Adelaide’s urban forest;

(e) the implications of climate change for Adelaide’s urban forest; and

(f) strategies to engage home gardeners, the nursery industry and the community in protecting parks, trees and gardens.

2. That the committee consist of three members and that the quorum of members necessary to be present at all meetings of the committee be fixed at three members and that standing order 389 be so far suspended as to enable the chairperson of the committee to have a deliberative vote only.

3. That this council permits the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication, as it sees fit, of any evidence or documents presented to the committee prior to such evidence being reported to the council.

4. That standing order 396 be suspended to enable strangers to be admitted when the select committee is examining witnesses unless the committee otherwise resolves, but they shall be excluded when the committee is deliberating.

The gardens of South Australia reflect the general water crisis that is afflicting all of us. According to gardening expert Jon Lamb, with just moderate water restrictions, already a third of gardeners have given up. Imagine what will happen if the drought continues or what will happen if outdoor watering is banned. It is not just the drought: urban consolidation, which I support if it is done sensitively and intelligently and in conjunction with increased open space, is turning Adelaide's backyards into pocket-sized courtyards.

Adelaide is supposed to be a garden city, but it appears that the government and this parliament do not value gardens, parks or trees. Some of our experts dismiss gardens. Professor Mike Young, who is making a great contribution to the national debate on water, told Carole Whitelock recently that gardens are a luxury. I know that some members are not convinced of the necessity for yet another select committee on what they see as a relatively trivial topic, but gardens make a profound economic, social and environmental contribution to our lives.

They make Adelaide beautiful. Imagine Adelaide without its parks, trees and gardens—what a bleak, hard, harsh and hot vista that would present. What sort of backdrop for the Tour Down Under or the Clipsal event would Adelaide be without its trees and gardens? They protect biodiversity; Professor Chris Daniels of the University of Adelaide says that the average home garden has six times the number of species of wildlife that our parklands have because of the greater variety of plant types.

Most people would be surprised to learn that Adelaide is one of the state's top biodiversity hot spots. At a time when natural environments are under stress, our backyards and, to a lesser extent, our parks, provide a refuge. Adelaide and the towns across South Australia are arcs against the flood of habitat destruction that is going on all over the state due to climate change and over-development. Trees and gardens are nature's air conditioners. The Nursery and Garden Association of Victoria states that one tree can reduce energy costs, as a result of less need for heating and cooling, by 20 per cent; and multiple trees can reduce energy costs by up to 40 per cent . Anyone who has a garden can testify to the fact that trees generate a cooling breeze on hot nights.

Adelaide's parklands provide a visual buffer and a natural cooling belt of green around the city, as well as a stage for the major events we do so well. One of the reasons WOMAD and major elements of the Fringe work is that they take place outside in the parks.

Our gardens have an important social function. All those people pottering in their front garden are the informal neighbourhood watch and local support group. Without gardens, we would just retreat into our sealed, air-conditioned homes and never speak to someone walking their dog or never wave at a passing jogger.

The National Gardening Industry Association cites health benefits. It refers to the fact that numerous studies have found that gardening and walking through gardens, or even looking at gardens, can lead to improved medical outcomes, faster recovery rates, lower stress levels, lower blood pressure, and improved mental and physical wellbeing.

The National Garden Association again cites studies that suggest that 45 minutes of gardening is equal to a 30 minute gym workout. Everyone would agree that it is more pleasant and more convenient to garden than to stand on a treadmill.

If recent history has taught us anything, it is that soft issues such as the environment, the community and preventative health just do not cut it. It is all about economics. So, let us look at the economics of this sector and this industry. The CEO of the Home Garden and Nursery Industry of South Australia, Geoffrey Fuller, informs me that the home garden and nursery industry has an annual turnover of $512 million in South Australia and that it is part of a national industry worth $6 billion. This sector creates jobs. Thousands of people working in nurseries and hardware stores have jobs only because we are a garden city and a garden state.

The Nursery and Garden Industry Association of South Australia informs me that the industry employs 3,700 full-time employees and 650 casual employees. So, this industry is a significant employer and a significant generator of economic revenue. This industry can either shrink or prosper, depending on the type of policies the government pursues.

Like almost all other gardeners, I recognise that we are on the edge of a crisis when it comes to water, and like almost all other gardeners I want to do the right thing and be part of the solution. I lug buckets of water out of the shower onto my lawn. I siphon water out of the wash trough, using the primitive method of the garden hose stuck through a window, over a ladder and out onto the lawn, and then I suck. It is a good thing I have healthy lungs, because sometimes it is quite an effort. I have found that it is important to choose an organic washing powder because then you do not put too many chemicals into your garden. The other advantage is that you do not put too many chemicals into your mouth when you swallow the odd mouthful! Somehow, I think we need a more sophisticated approach than sucking on a garden hose.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Hear, hear! Very dangerous.

The Hon. DAVID WINDERLICH: It is.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Particularly late at night.

The Hon. DAVID WINDERLICH: No doubt; hyperventilating after a night in the parliament. We need to redesign our private gardens and public parks so that they are cooling, water wise havens for wildlife and people and to ensure that Adelaide remains a green city and that our country towns also remain green.

All the government would have to do is to provide a bit of advice and information to home gardeners and the nursery industry. They would do the rest, because it would be in their interests to do so. Instead, home gardeners in particular are an easy target. Pools, spas and long showers are fine. In fact, any amount of indoor water use is entirely acceptable. However, using water outside is a matter for suspicion and snooping. It does not have to be that way.

What is happening to our gardens and how we approach this matter is an apt metaphor for this government's approach to governing. Instead of engaging people, the government seeks to control them. Instead of tapping into the goodwill and energy of the people, the government seeks to repress their activity. In taking this authoritarian approach, the government turns what should be an asset into a liability, turning people who could be the government's supporters into its opponents. It is short sighted and it is wrong.

I realise that we have a queue of select committees lined up, and all this takes resources. However, I believe this select committee would be a practical and low maintenance approach. It would have only three members, and it need not have a long life. There is a whole network out there of businesses and individuals that are all part of the solution. People such as Malcolm Campbell, Michael Keelan and John Lamb know all about gardens. People like Chris Daniels understand how that fits into a broader ecological perspective, and other experts can relate that to the broader water crisis. There are lessons we could learn from interstate. Victoria and New South Wales do far more to support their home garden industries than does South Australia.

I am aware that members may still see this as a trivial matter in the scheme of things, despite the fact that it affects a $500 million industry. I put the following questions to members. If you knew of something that enhanced the life of hundreds of thousands of South Australians and you knew it was under threat, would you want to protect and enhance it? If you knew of an initiative that acted as a social inclusion mechanism and neighbourhood watch and you knew that was at risk, would you want to protect it? If you knew of a sector where jobs could be protected by appropriate policies in a time of rising unemployment, would you want to protect it? If you knew of a low cost volunteer-based but effective mental health and exercise strategy, would you want to protect it? If you knew that you could do all this for very little cost, would you be interested?

I say to honourable members: that is what we have in the garden industry in particular, and that is the resource we have in our parklands. We have an enormous resource that relates to a wide range of government and community objectives, and we have a large and willing workforce that will get out there and do it for free.

It is my intention that the select committee will fairly quickly develop a coherent plan for how we can use parks, trees and gardens to achieve this wide range of government objectives, mobilise that incredibly large community workforce and link in with the garden industry. I hope honourable member will support the motion.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.

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