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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-08-26 Daily Xml
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Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (14:45): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Human Services, representing the Minister for Environment and Water, a question concerning state government support for an important operation funded by the Port Augusta City Council.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY: The Port Augusta City Council owns several infrastructure operations of regional or state importance that each have an underlying structural deficit. One such operation is the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden. The state government needs to fund the structural deficit of this operation, to remove this unreasonable burden from the ratepayers of Port Augusta.

The Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden comprises 100 hectares, showcasing plants from Australia's low rainfall regions, attracting more than 150 bird species and with surrounding views of the gulf and Flinders Ranges. An interpretive centre, cafe and shop, opened in 1996, are contained within the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden. The botanic garden is a significant cultural tourism and natural science asset to the state.

The council has endeavoured to achieve ongoing state government funding to support this outstanding garden in the same or similar manner to which the botanic gardens around Adelaide—Wittunga, Mt Lofty and Adelaide Botanic Garden—receive state funding. The cost to council in maintaining this state and regional asset, I understand, is in the order of $850,000 per annum, or some 5 per cent of their rates.

A cursory examination of the financial statements of the board of the Botanic Gardens and state herbarium 2019-2020 reveals considerable state government support in eight other disclosures. Activities undertaken by the Department for Environment and Water, expenses incurred by DEW in performing activities associated with the board of nearly $10 million for employee costs, supplies, grants depreciation, donated assets and other, with $1.3 million in offsets.

Given the considerable support provided to the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and the complementary nature of the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden at Port Augusta and the goodwill provided by the community of Port Augusta in funding this botanic garden over several decades, it is reasonable to now expect the state government to step up.

My question to the Minister for Human Services, representing the Minister for Environment and Water, is: is the state now prepared to fund the structural deficit of the significant regional and state asset of the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden of Port Augusta, so that the burden does not fall on the ratepayers of Port Augusta?

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (Minister for Human Services) (14:48): I think I will need to take that one on notice and get a response from the relevant minister and bring that back for a reply.

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