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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-05-14 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE AIRPORT

The Hon. R.D. LAWSON (15:05): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Planning and Development a question about Adelaide Airport.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.D. LAWSON: On the weekend, Adelaide Airport Limited released its draft master plan for the period 2009-14. It is a comprehensive five-page document and I commend the company for it as I commend—and I am sure many members would agree—the Managing Director of Adelaide Airport Limited (Phil Baker), and his always helpful colleague John McArdle, for their briefing of members on issues relating to the airport. This plan is made pursuant to the requirements of the commonwealth Airports Act and requires the approval of the federal minister. However, the plan has serious ramifications for planning in the surrounding areas governed by state laws.

Members would be aware of the still developing shopping centre on the western side of the airport, which has created a new major regional shopping centre, creating traffic, planning and drainage issues, to say nothing of distorting the pattern of retail in the western suburbs. There have been extensive developments on the northern side of the airport and the southern side is ripe for further development. The latest master plan again shows a proposed hotel to be built on the area presently occupied by the short-term car park, a car park which by all accounts is entirely inadequate, especially at peak times.

In fairness, the plan also shows a new multi-storey car park located to the north of the current car park. However, I can find no assurance in the plan that the new car park will be developed before the hotel is built on the existing car park. The plan raises many issues. Knowing that the commonwealth government has primary responsibility in relation to these issues, my questions to the minister are:

1. What input have South Australian government planning authorities had to the draft plan as prepared?

2. Will the minister assure the parliament that the South Australian planning authorities, including local government planning authorities, will make appropriate presentations to protect the interests of planning in the western suburbs of Adelaide?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:07): I thank the honourable member for his important question, because it has been a matter of great concern for some time, particularly in previous years, that once Adelaide Airport was privatised the then commonwealth government has shown a particularly lax attitude towards the impact of any development at the airport and surrounding areas. That applies not only to Adelaide or Parafield airports but also other major airports around the country, and it has been an issue planning and transport ministers have raised at ministerial conferences for some time, with little success.

Following the election, Steve Georganas, the member for Hindmarsh, lobbied in relation to this matter, and the new federal Minister for Transport (Anthony Albanese) has now released a discussion paper; it was one of the first things he did upon election to government. The Rudd government released a discussion paper in relation to planning at major airports, reflecting the concern that Steve Georganas and state planning ministers had raised on a number of occasions previously in relation to the lack of input states had in relation to planning at airports. I am not sure exactly where that discussion paper is currently.

At the planning ministers' conference last week, and as part of the changes now to occur, unlike previously, the commonwealth is proposing that state governments and local government bodies should be involved in consideration of these plans. As for the timing to come into place, I am not certain, but I am happy to take the question on notice and bring back the detail for the honourable member. I can assure him that the states, local government (particularly the City of West Torrens) and the local federal member for that area (Steve Georganas) have all been lobbying furiously to ensure that the commonwealth takes into consideration local issues as part of any plans for the area. I will provide that detail for the honourable member in answer to his important question.

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