Famed performer releases protest song as park lands petition reaches tipping point
As park lands protesters reach petition numbers that will trigger an investigation into tree chopping plans, a famed Australian performer weighs in on the debate.
One of Australia’s best-known songwriters has weighed in on the debate around the park lands, with John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew releasing ‘Ragtag Extremist Blues’ to protest what he says is the “appropriation” of the park lands for MotoGP and to redevelop the North Adelaide Golf Course.
Schumann and his former band Redgum’s anti-war song ‘I Was Only 19‘ is one of the nation’s most revered protest anthems.
The release comes as park lands advocates near 10,000 signatures on their “Stop The Chop – Save the Adelaide Park Lands” petition against the controversial felling of 585 trees for the North Adelaide Golf Course redevelopment – a tipping point that would trigger a parliamentary inquiry.
Among its demands, the petition calls on the government to immediately halt works on the MotoGP redevelopment and to return Possum Park and John E Brown Park to the City of Adelaide.
“We, the undersigned South Australian community, express our collective and growing concern at the State Government’s continued legislated takeover of the Adelaide Park Lands to enable unprecedented and inappropriate development such as Festival Plaza, the North Adelaide Golf Course, and MotoGP,” the petition reads.
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Parliamentary petitions with more than 10,000 signatures are automatically referred to the Legislative Review Committee to investigate, and it must then report its findings to both houses of parliament.
The State Government has consistently said it took the redevelopment plans for the North Adelaide Golf Course to the State Election and received an overwhelming mandate from the people of South Australia when it was voted back into power.
“The investment that we’re making into the North Adelaide is about ultimately a facility for community use,” SA Premier Peter Malinauskas previously said.
“We believe there’s a strong case for making an investment in a public asset for the people of our state, particularly considering that it will be a drawcard for tourists to the heart of our city.”
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However, Schumann, well-known for Redgum’s chart-topping 1983 anti-war anthem ‘I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green)’, said he was “absolutely appalled” by the use of park lands for events like MotoGP.
“Like lots and lots of South Australians, I’ve been absolutely appalled at the government’s appropriation of the park lands for the golf course and then for the MotoGP – I think it’s absolutely outrageous, and I don’t believe they have a mandate for it,” he told InDaily.
Schumann said ‘Ragtag Extremist Blues’ was a country folk-rock song about ordinary South Australians concerned with encroachment onto the park lands, including a “nanna” who watches her grandchildren chasing magpies through the grass.
“Nanna watches grandkids chasing magpies through the grass/There’s an old man in the twilight wondering how it got this far/Will we let the raging fire burn down to embers on the sand?/The dying of the voices is exactly what they planned,” sings Schumann.
He said the central theme of the song stemmed from Malinauskas labelling park lands protesters – including a self-proclaimed ‘granny’ – who trespassed on the golf course as “ragtag extremists”.
“The originating thought was Malinauskas’s dismissal of some protesters as ragtag extremists, when I think they’re just concerned citizens who are speaking out and acting in defiance of the government’s decision,” he said.
“I’ve known Peter Malinauskas as an acquaintance for a long time now, and I think, generally speaking, he’s a good premier … but in this instance, he has it badly, badly wrong, and he’s overstepped the mark.”
All proceeds from ‘Ragtag Extremist Blues’ downloads would be donated to the Adelaide Park Lands Association, with Schumann and the Vagabond Crew debuting ‘Ragtag Extremist Blues’ alongside other hits from his career on August 29 at The Gov. Part proceeds from tickets were also going to the association.
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