Major parties in the rough in park lands how-to-vote card
Golf courses and motorsports have prompted the city’s Park Lands association to rate the two major parties low in its pre-election report card.
The Park Lands Association – which says it has doubled its membership since the last state election – has scored election hopefuls on their park lands priorities, ranking the SA Labor party below the SA Liberals.
Since the 2022 state election, the Adelaide Park Lands Association membership has grown to about 700 paid members and over 9000 Facebook followers, while the perception of the Labor party has declined, the group’s Acting Secretary Shane Sody says.
The association’s How to Vote card, released on Monday, recommends park lands lovers living in the seat of Adelaide vote first for independent candidate Keiran Snape, followed by the Greens, the Liberals and then Labor.
Its assessment followed results from six questions to all candidates and scoring their answers out of 10. They did not score One Nation, SA Best, United Voice, Legalise Cannabis, National Party or Family First parties because they did not respond to questions.
At the fourth spot on the How to Vote card, Labor sits in the same position as when the group did this in 2022, but this time around the Park Lands Association ranked the Liberal party higher, which was not the case in 2022.
Sody said the Liberal Party, while not answering each question directly in their response, had key objectives whereas the group felt Labor’s answers did not address the questions well.
In his time at the association, Sody saw it was “easy to make promises from opposition”, and was critical of both major parties for not giving the park lands state heritage protection after a 2018 recommendation.
“It’s remarkable that both major parties are stating that they support World Heritage listing, and yet neither party, when in government would act on state heritage listing,” he said.
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“So if you won’t act on state heritage listing, what confidence can anyone have that you’re actually serious about World Heritage listing?”
The Liberal party have committed to seeking world heritage protection of the Adelaide park lands if elected, which the Labor party also said it supported.
The Association surveyed candidates with key park lands questions – about world heritage, legislative protection and more – before the state government announced it had secured the MotoGP for Adelaide.
Sody said MotoGP and the $45 million North Adelaide golf course project had become key issues for its members, which he says make up “thousands” of voters in the seat of Adelaide.
“I think they will get a shock on election night,” he said.
“I don’t think they understand the numbers and the depth of feeling of how people who love the Adelaide park lands feel betrayed by this government.”
Environment Minister Lucy Hood, the current member for Adelaide, said the party is “committed to preserving and enhancing the Adelaide park lands” and pointed to the Adelaide Aquatic Centre and new Women’s and Children’s Hospital as examples of the government opening up green space.
“We have provided in-principle support for World Heritage listing, which requires Commonwealth support to progress,” Hood said.
“We will open up 30,000 square metres of additional Park Lands – much of which is currently inaccessible – through the new Women’s and Children’s project, investing in upgraded amenities and improved accessibility to ensure more people can enjoy and use green space.
“We have delivered on our election commitment to fully restore Park Lands protection to Helen Mayo Park by abolishing zoning changes made by the former Liberal Government to build a $662 million basketball stadium on the site.
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“The Government will continue to consider careful design, heritage advice and community consultation in determining any future approach to additional heritage protection for our park lands.”
Greens leader Robert Simms said his party – which ranked second on the association’s How to Vote card – was concerned about Labor’s track record on the park lands, which is why they are not suggesting preferences for the city seat currently held by Hood.
He said their ‘How to Vote’ card will put Greens first, One Nation last, and no suggestions of the order in between.
“I think the Greens have a record second to none in the parliament on park lands, they are the lungs of our city,” Simms said.
But they would not be doing the same just outside the city in the seat of Dunstan, which includes Kent Town and Norwood – where park lands are also a key concern of voters, according to Liberal candidate Anna Finzio.
She said the MotoGP was “the last straw” for voters in Dunstan, and while “we all want a vibrant city, events should not have to constantly come at the cost of the park lands and cause disproportionate disruption to our local community”.
Finizio said this was something the Liberals and the Greens were aligned on, but that by preferencing Labor above the Liberals in Dunstan, the Greens had “taken an axe to the park lands where they could have made an impact”.
“Our community deserves direct representation, involvement and engagement in the facilitating of these major events which directly impact them and the natural assets we care about.”
Simms said that while he has “a great deal of respect for Anna personally”, it was clear the Liberals had “turned their backs on moderate voters”.
“The Greens weigh a range of factors when determining preference recommendations,” Simms said.
“The Park Lands are one important consideration, so are the party’s position on other issues, like the voice, gun control and the renewable energy target.
“Ultimately, how to votes are simply a suggestion, the voters determine their individual preferences.”
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