20 October 2022

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: Given some time has passed since we dealt with this bill, I will just briefly summarise the history behind this. The Adelaide Parklands were established in 1837, the world's first public park, and Adelaide remains the only city in the world that is fully garlanded by parks. It is often said that Adelaide is a city in a park, not a city in a car park as many seem to envisage for the CBD.

In 2008, the Parklands received national heritage listing by the then federal Minister for the Environment, the Hon. Peter Garrett. It was in 2009 that the process formally began to ask the State Heritage Council to consider whether SA should follow the federal government's lead and actually provide that state heritage protection.

Well, 12 years later and still the clock is ticking. There was a process of public consultation back in 2017, and I understand there were a record number of submissions and I observed this when I first introduced the bill in the previous parliament. There was also a recommendation of the State Heritage Council to include the Parklands on the state heritage list, so it is disingenuous for the government to claim that the process has not been followed or that there has been insufficient consultation.

I want to thank the opposition and SA-Best for their support of this bill. The position of SA-Best is consistent with the view that they expressed to the Parklands Association in a survey that was published on their website in the lead-up to the last election. In that survey the SA-Best party stated, and I quote from that submission:

We would like to see legislation to declare the Adelaide Parklands heritage listed to provide them with this high level of protection into the future, and a bill reintroduced and passed in the new parliament. We will strongly support that and pressure for it to be a priority in the House of Assembly.

It goes on to further say:

SA-Best has strongly supported national and state heritage listing, and we will do whatever is necessary to support this land being rezoned back into its original process.

I appreciate the support of the Hon. Connie Bonaros for this bill, and it is my expectation that will continue going forward, consistent with the position they took to the last election.

It is disappointing, however, to note the position of the Labor Party. They say that a week is a long time in politics. Well, seven months must be a whole age, because when they were in opposition they were very happy to pour scorn on the Liberal Party, and rightly so because their record on the Parklands is abysmal, but they were very happy to pour scorn on the Liberals, but then when they are in government, when they have their bums on the treasury benches, what are they doing in terms of actually delivering on a different outcome?

Back in February every political party in this place supported state heritage listing for the Adelaide Parklands. What has changed? They won the seat of Adelaide and now they are taking it for granted. I can tell you that there were lots of people who supported the Labor Party in the seat of Adelaide because they were aghast at the Liberal's management of the Parklands and contempt for our public green space, yet what have they got from the new Labor government? They have got more of the same.

Might I say, at least the Liberals supported this bill in the last parliament. They said they would make it a priority and they have stood firm in supporting it in this place. The same cannot be said for Labor. With friends like the Labor Party, the Parklands hardly need enemies. I had an opportunity to look back at the second reading speeches given on this bill, and I want to quote from a statement made by the Hon. Emily Bourke on 8 February in this place. I make no criticism of the Hon. Emily Bourke, she was simply stating the position of the Labor Party at that time. She said in her speech:

A state heritage area may include areas notable for their distinct heritage characters or a sense of place formed by building and structures, spaces and allotments, patterns of streets and natural features or the development of the landscape.

The Adelaide Parklands fits well within all of the above qualities of what makes it an important and valued sense of space.

She goes on to talk about how this bill was an important way of recognising those characteristics. Why has the Labor Party changed its position? It is very easy to talk about loving the Parklands, but do not pay attention to what comes out of their mouths—look at what they do with their feet. Look at how they vote on the Parklands. That is the test and that is the test of leadership that the Labor Party has failed time and time again when it comes to our public green space.

If they love the Parklands, they should list the Parklands, bring South Australia into line with the national heritage listing and show some leadership on this issue—stop the flip-flopping, stop the backflipping. This is the party that gave away our Parklands, our public green space behind this very building, to the Walker Corporation many years ago. South Australians are aghast at seeing this monument to the development sector that is being erected behind our state parliament and they will be urging Labor to show some leadership on this issue and to support the position that they took in the lead-up to the last election; that is, to support this bill.

Bill read a second time.

The Adelaide Park Lands are an iconic and cherished part of South Australia. Adelaide remains the only city in the world surrounded by park, open to everybody and with benefits for us all to enjoy.

But our Park Lands are shrinking. Each successive generation loses a little bit more, and there is no mechanism to reclaim them. The Government’s plan to build a new ‘Mounted Operations Unit’ for SAPOL on the Park Lands is yet another erosion of our iconic green space.

We must work hard to ensure that this unique part of our city is not lost. Once it is gone, we can never get it back.

In 2022 I introduced a Private Members Bill to ensure that the Minister couldn’t implement any rezoning of the Park Lands without the support of the parliament. Watch my second reading speech here. Unfortunately, the reform was blocked by the Labor and Liberal parties.

Last year we moved to amend the Government’s New Women’s and Childrens’ Hospital Bill to prevent the Police Minister from being able to relocate the police barracks and associated infrastructure to another part of the Park Lands. Unfortunately, this amendment was opposed by every political party other than the Greens. You can read more here.

I’ve introduced a Bill to Parliament that would add the Park Lands to the State Heritage list in recognition of their cultural, historic, and environmental heritage and finally give the Park Lands the protection they deserve. Watch my speeches introducing the Bill here and here.

Momentum is building in the campaign to protect the Park Lands but we need your help. Sign our petition to urge Premier Peter Malinauskas to add the Adelaide Park Lands to the State Heritage list.

Our Park Lands belong to all South Australians. Let’s send the government a clear message that they are not for sale!

19 October 2022

I rise to speak on the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (Use of Vacant Land) Amendment Bill. In 2017, my predecessor, Mark Parnell, brought a similar bill to this one, at that time to find a public use for the vacant Le Cornu site. This revised bill seeks to address the housing crisis by allowing the government to step in and place temporary housing on vacant land in circumstances where the owner is unable or unwilling to undertake development.

The housing crisis continues to worsen in South Australia. Poor affordability, low availability and stagnating incomes have led us to a point where we regularly hear about people living in tents, in cars, on the streets or couch surfing. It is outrageous that we have residential and commercial land across our state that is being left vacant while people have no place to call home. In the CBD and the suburbs, we have several parcels of land that are left vacant with no imminent plans for development.

Sometimes land sits vacant because financing has fallen through and a developer has to abandon a project, but sometimes it is because a landowner is land banking, which is the practice of using an unused land asset to gain a return on investment with very few overheads or outlays. There is an example on Sturt Street here in the city. This block of land has remained vacant for at least seven years. Development applications have been submitted for this property over many years.

There is also of course the example of the old Le Cornu site, which sat vacant for almost 30 years. Indeed, during most of my lifetime that site on O'Connell Street has been vacant. It is of concern when you see prime land like this remaining vacant and government not taking any action and developers not being compelled to activate the land.

Under this bill, the government could take a statutory lease to use the land for a public purpose, including temporary housing. With over 17,000 people on the public housing waiting list, this solution would provide a supply of public homes quickly and easily until more permanent public homes could be built.

There are proven examples of this concept in other jurisdictions. The Victorian government entered a public-private partnership to use vacant land to deliver architecturally designed transportable dwellings for those who are experiencing homelessness, and the Harris Transportable Housing Project has already delivered 47 homes on underutilised land for residents. These homes are pet friendly, energy-efficient, affordable places for people to live privately and independently. Prefabricated homes can be installed in one day and easily removed when the land is ready for permanent development.

The Victorian example has received two awards from the Planning Institute of Australia for Best Planning Idea. We need innovative ideas like these to address our housing crisis. The need for housing is pressing. The solutions need to be swift and at scale. This bill unlocks unused land for the government, and that is land that is otherwise serving no useful purpose in our state.

This does not, of course, take the land away from the private owner. It is returned to the private landholder once a development application is lodged. My hope is that the government will support this bill and then utilise the land that is available to reduce the number of people on our public housing waitlist or, at the very least, reduce the number of people who are sleeping rough on our streets because I recognise that temporary housing is no solution or alternative to long-term permanent housing.

Surely, having people sleeping in portable homes is a better outcome than people being forced to sleep in tents, cars or caravans. It is not good enough that people are sleeping rough, couch surfing or having to live in their cars. It is our duty, as members of this place, to take action to address this crisis. I urge members to support the bill.

27 September 2022

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the Attorney-General representing the Minister for Planning on the topic of the new Women's and Children's Hospital.

Leave granted.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Simms has the call.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: In the lead-up to the—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Sorry, the Hon. Mr Simms.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Girolamo, the Hon. Leader of the Opposition, I am trying to listen to the Hon. Mr Simms.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I think they will like this one, Mr President. In the lead-up to the last state election the then leader of the Labor opposition—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The honourable Leader of the Government!

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: —Peter Malinauskas, published a policy document entitled Heritage, under the banner For the Future. In the document under the heading 'Protect our state heritage places', it stated that:

The community was shocked when the Marshall Liberal government announced it would demolish the Waite Gatehouse—the building was rescued only because people protested, signed petitions and insisted that demolition was not necessary. This occurred after the Marshall Liberal government decided to allow Shed 26 in Port Adelaide to be demolished despite the Heritage Council approving it for listing on the State Heritage Register.

The document goes on to state:

To ensure that demolition cannot occur at the whim of a future government, Labor will legislate to better protect State Heritage Places, including requiring a public report by the SA Heritage Council being prepared and laid in parliament before any consideration of a demolition approval and full public consultation so that all South Australians can have their views heard.

Earlier today the government announced their plans to build the new South Australian Women's and Children's Hospital on the heritage-listed site, the Thebarton Police Barracks. The century-old buildings have been listed on the State Heritage Register since 1985. My questions, therefore, to the minister are:

1. Will the government embark on a full public consultation period in relation to the proposed hospital site?

2. Will a report from the Heritage Council be prepared and laid in the parliament before demolishing the heritage-listed Thebarton Police Barracks, as promised during the election?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector): I thank the honourable member for his question. As he noted, ministers in the other place are responsible. I suspect it is not just the planning minister but also the environment and heritage minister. I will take those questions on notice and seek a reply from the ministers responsible in these areas.

7 September 2022

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to amend the Gas Act 1997. Read a first time.

Second Reading

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

This bill seeks to ban all new gas connections for new builds from 2025. We are taking this step because we are in the midst of a climate emergency in South Australia. The South Australian parliament has passed a climate emergency declaration and it is time for us to take action to transition away from dirty fossil fuels. Unless we keep global warming to below 1.5º, the IPCC claims that South Australia will see more hot days, declining rainfall, more drought and more dangerous fire conditions.

To meet climate targets we must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and that includes natural gas. Gas is a non-renewable resource and we need to start transitioning to sources of energy that are not going to run out over time. Some argue that gas produces less emissions than coal and should be used as a transition fuel source, and it is true that gas is less emitting than coal, but if we power our electricity grid with renewables rather than coal, electricity is a far cleaner option. The Grattan Institute states:

The transition fuel argument should not distract from the fact that Australia, and the rest of the world, must consume less gas over time to reduce the effects of climate change.

Fifty-six per cent of South Australian homes are connected to gas. As a non-renewable resource, gas is going to increase in price as supply reduces. The Grattan Institute report indicated that gas prices will climb in the coming year, putting extra pressure on families who are locked into gas connections in their home.

Renewable energy is now seen as substantially cheaper to produce than natural gas, with prices continuing to fall; therefore, our best solution for household energy needs is to transition to solar and wind to reduce emissions rather than relying on gas and non-renewable fossil fuel. This bill starts the process by banning future connections from January 2025.

I understand that only 7 per cent of South Australians use gas for cooking, but many cooks and chefs have now publicly stated that they are turning to induction cooking, given it is superior in terms of precision and speed. I will have to take their word on that. I am not renowned for my cooking skills, but I have heard that the induction cooktop is a lot better.

I commend the Malinauskas government's commitment to green hydrogen as an alternative fuel source, but the reality is we are not yet in a position where we can pump green hydrogen through the existing gas network, so what we really need to be doing is banning gas connections for new builds. I do not intend to provide much further detail on this bill at this point because you will be hearing a bit from me over the next little while. With that, I conclude my remarks.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

7 July 2022

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I rise to speak in relation to the South Australian Motor Sport (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill. Before doing so, I want to put on the public record for members' benefit the fact that I am a city resident; however, I do not consider that to be a conflict of interest. After all, the part of the city that I live in is not directly impacted by the sports race. It is also a large class of persons. I note that the race can proceed irrespective of what happens with this particular bill, given this is establishing the Motorsport Board, but the government already has the authority to press ahead with an Adelaide 500 race. I did think it was worthwhile putting that on the record.

The Greens' concerns around car racing are well known and have been well documented, as stated by my colleague the Hon. Tammy Franks and my predecessor Mark Parnell. I have been on the public record many times over the years as an Adelaide city councillor, expressing concern around car racing. I do question whether this is the best use of public money, to spend millions of dollars of taxpayer money—I think it is about $20 million over four years—on car racing, given the significant crises we face at the moment, the crisis in terms of the cost of living and the lack of affordable housing.

I also question whether this is really in keeping with the new government's priorities. Given we are in the midst of a climate emergency and this parliament has declared that, is now really the time to be bringing gas guzzlers and all those emissions back onto our city streets and celebrating car racing, a sport that does have such a significant impact on emissions? I do not think it is, but this is a view that the government has taken. It has certainly long been the view of the Greens that it is better for these matters to be dealt with by the Motorsport Board in terms of transparency rather than the Tourism Commission.

I also want to flag the impact that this race could have on the Parklands, this public green space. There is an impact potentially on the natural flora and fauna in that area. One thing that is quite unique about the Adelaide 500 race in particular is that it is a race that runs through the CBD. In other places around the world, particularly Melbourne in Albert Park, it is a little removed from the city and so it has a slightly different impact.

I am concerned about the impacts of motor racing. I do question whether this is the correct priority for the government at this present time, at a time of climate crisis and growing inequality. I also do have some concerns around the impact this might have on city businesses. I heard media reports during the week that the Adelaide City Council has considered some of these issues and raised concerns around the impact on city businesses. I will be very interested in hearing some responses from the government in relation to those concerns as part of the committee stage.

19 May 2022

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS:

I rise to speak in relation to the Heritage Places (Adelaide Park Lands) Amendment Bill, and I will keep this brief; I am conscious that members are probably sick of hearing my voice today. This is a very important bill. It seeks to add the Parklands to the list of South Australia's State Heritage Areas.

Members will recall I introduced an identical bill into the last parliament, and I was really delighted to see all political parties in this place come on board and support it. I am hoping that spirit will continue when this bill is brought to a vote in a coming parliamentary session. The Adelaide Parklands are an iconic and cherished part of our city. Adelaide remains the only city in the world surrounded by park; in fact, the world's first public park. Seven hundred hectares of park remain, but we must work hard to ensure that this unique part of our city is not lost. We know with our public green space that once it is gone we can never get it back.

In 2008, the Parklands received National Heritage listing by the then Minister for the Environment, the Hon. Peter Garrett MP. In 2009, the process began to ask the state Heritage Council to consider whether SA should follow the federal government's lead and declare that the Parklands are worthy of heritage recognition at a state level. Thirteen years on, we are still waiting.

A process of public consultation commenced in 2017, and it featured a record number of submissions in support of the state heritage listing. In 2018, the then state Liberal government committed to including the Parklands on the state heritage list following a recommendation of the state Heritage Council, yet here we are in 2022 and South Australians are still wondering when we will see our beautiful, rare, city green spaces included on the state heritage list.

The Parklands are subject to slow erosion. Often we do not even notice that it is happening, but the Parklands were once 930 hectares and are now only 700 hectares. They continue to shrink. Each successive generation loses a little bit more, and there is no way to fight it, no mechanism to reclaim it. That is why legislation like this is so important. The Malinauskas government has axed the former government's plan to build a stadium on our precious Parklands. We welcome this decision, but we need to do more to protect our green, open public spaces that circle the city.

State and World Heritage listings would send governments of both persuasions a clear message that the Parklands are iconic and they should not be the plaything of developers and vested interests. Our Parklands should not be for sale. The Adelaide Park Lands Management Strategy, which was endorsed by the Weatherill Labor government back in 2015, calls to maintain the culture and heritage of the Parklands through World Heritage listing. The Greens are supportive of those efforts, and we see this bill as being an important step.

The bill is a very simple one. All it seeks to do is include the Parklands on the state heritage list—something that is a prerequisite for a World Heritage listing consideration, I suggest. The Parklands are for everybody. The benefits are for all of us to enjoy. If our federal government can recognise their significance through heritage listing, why can't we? South Australians know how precious our Parklands are. They are the envy of cities around the world. We cannot wait any longer to protect our cultural, historic, Indigenous and environmental heritage through a bill such as this.

As I say, it was really encouraging to see the widespread support for this bill in the last parliament and I am hopeful that members will get on board with this bill when it comes to a vote in coming parliamentary sessions. With that, I conclude my remarks.

8 February 2022

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I want to thank members for their contributions. I acknowledge the contribution of the Hon. Emily Burke, the contribution of the Hon. Frank Pangallo and the contribution of the Hon. Michelle Lensink. I do want to acknowledge the fact that we are at an exciting moment where all political parties are supporting the heritage listing of our iconic Parklands and Adelaide's iconic green space. I think that really is a breakthrough moment in terms of protection of our Parklands.

This has been a long-term campaign by Parklands advocates. It is over 10 years ago that we saw the Adelaide Parklands included on the National Heritage List, and since that time there has been a long-term push for the Adelaide Parklands to be included on the state heritage list. It is terrific to see such strong support for this bill, and certainly, whether the Labor Party claims government or whether the Liberal Party is returned to government in March, the Greens will be reintroducing this legislation into the new parliament to ensure that the two major parties make good on their commitment and their support for this legislation so that we can make this a reality. I see today's vote as being an important step in that regard, and I acknowledge the support of my colleagues in making that happen.

I will respond very briefly and directly to one of the comments made by the Hon. Emily Bourke. The Hon. Ms Bourke has asked about the involvement of the Adelaide City Council. Whilst it is true that I have not negotiated directly with the council on this bill, the council has had a long-term position of supporting state heritage listing for the Adelaide Parklands and also supporting World Heritage listing for the Parklands. I would certainly see that this bill, were it to become law, would strengthen that campaign for World Heritage listing.

In the interests of time, I indicate on behalf of the Greens that we are supportive of two of the three amendments that are going to be put forward by the government. We support amendment No. 2 [Lensink-1] and amendment No. 3 [Lensink-1]. We do not support amendment No.1, which relates to the time frame in which the bill would come into operation. There may well be a change of government in March, and they may well have very different priorities in terms of the work of the bureaucracy, and it may be possible to expedite this.

People have been waiting a very long time for state heritage listing, and I do not want to see more delays put in place. It is for that reason that we are opposed to that first amendment from the government. I acknowledge the support of all parties in terms of making this happen.

8 February 2022

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I want to use this opportunity to put on the record the Greens' opposition to this bill, the proposal from the Marshall government that Martindale Hall be sold off for future privatisation. What this bill seeks to do is to abolish the Martindale Hall Conservation Park and to extinguish the charitable trust established by the gift of the hall to the people of South Australia. We consider that to be an absolute travesty.

This is a building that is iconic. It belongs to all South Australians, and it should be protected as a vital piece of our history. We know, of course, what happens when the Liberals sell off our beautiful iconic buildings. We know what happens to those buildings: they sit there idle and they fall into disrepair. Such is the casualty of the Liberals' fire sale of our beautiful and iconic buildings. I recognise that the Labor Party also undertook some of that privatisation work during their time in office.

Looking around the City of Adelaide, sadly we see the consequences of this privatisation: Edmund Wright House, which has been vacant since 2015; the Adelaide GPO, which has been vacant now for two years; Davaar House, a long-term vacancy that is now in disrepair; Hotel Tivoli has been shut for eight years; Freemasons Hall is another one that is about to fall; the Newmarket Hotel has been vacant since 2017; Gawler Chambers, vacant since 2004; the former Primitive Methodist Church in North Adelaide, vacant since 2014; and the list goes on.

They are beautiful iconic buildings that have been left to decay because they have either been sold off to private enterprise or they have not been brought back into public hands. Certainly, what the Greens are calling for, as well as opposing this particular piece of legislation, is the next government to put some money on the table to buy back these beautiful buildings, to ensure that they are managed for the public good, to take steps to actually punish developers and landholders who allow these buildings to fall into disrepair and to put some money on the table to encourage activation of these beautiful buildings.

It is an absolute travesty that we have people sleeping on the street in the middle of this heatwave whilst we have beautiful buildings such as this sitting there idle, sitting there vacant, gathering dust. The Greens will not allow that to happen to our iconic Martindale Hall, and that is why I wanted to take this opportunity to put our opposition to this legislation on the public record. I hope that this legislation does not find its way back onto the Notice Paper in the new parliament.

01 December 2021

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS:

The bill that I rise to speak on today seeks to include the Adelaide Parklands on the state's heritage list. The Adelaide Parklands, established in 1837, were the world's first public park, and Adelaide remains the only city in the world that is garlanded by parks. It is a reminder of just how fortunate we are, particularly during this time of climate emergency.

In 2008, the Parklands received national heritage listing by the then minister for environment, the Hon. Peter Garrett. In 2009, the process formally began to ask the state Heritage Council to consider whether SA should follow the federal government's lead and declare that the Parklands are worthy of state heritage recognition. Well, 12 years later we are still waiting.

A process of public consultation began in 2017 and featured a record number of public submissions in support of the state heritage listing. In 2018, the state government announced its intention to include the Parklands on the state heritage list, following a recommendation of the state Heritage Council, and yet here we are coming to the end of 2021 and we still have no action from the Marshall government.

Indeed, the former Labor government were silent on this too. At a time when South Australians expect to see our beautiful and rare city green spaces included on the state heritage list, both of our major parties have failed to take action. That is why the Greens have taken the step of introducing this private member's bill today.

The bill is a simple one. All it seeks to do is include the Parklands on the state's heritage list. Once we do this, it would certainly strengthen the case for any world heritage consideration, something that the Adelaide Park Lands Association and others have been campaigning for for some time.

This bill is very timely because we know that the Parklands are under threat like never before. Just the last period of sitting we saw the Labor and Liberal parties vote in unison to defeat my private member's bill that would have ensured this parliament had oversight over any rezoning of the Parklands. Sadly, that has opened the way not only to the sports arena on the Helen Mayo Park but also the other things that the government has in its sights in terms of rezoning—cafes, apartment towers, restaurants and the like. All of these things have been included in the government's rezoning plans. Sadly, the government is now able to press ahead with those without parliamentary oversight.

Unfortunately, this bill will not correct that. That horse has bolted. What it would do is ensure that, if there is going to be any development of the Parklands in future, there is consideration of what this means for the state heritage values of the site. I think that is a really vitally important safeguard of our city's iconic green space.

In order to be considered for state heritage listing, an area must include early or important settlements, other significant towns or suburbs of heritage value or natural landscapes. It seems completely at odds that the government is still assessing the worth of the Parklands when it met its national heritage standards more than 12 years ago. It really is time for this parliament to act.

To give you a sense of other areas that are state heritage listed, we have 17 state heritage areas that reflect heritage of importance to all South Australians. These are: Arckaringa Hills, Belair National Park, Beltana, Burra, Colonel Light Gardens, Gawler Church Hill, Goolwa, Hahndorf, Cooper Creek, Mintaro, Moonta Mines, Mount Gambier Cave Gardens, Mount Gambier Volcanic Complex, Mount Shank, Mount Torrens, Penola and Port Adelaide

Looking at this list, it is clear that the Parklands would be a worthy inclusion. South Australians know how precious our Parklands are. They are the envy of cities all around the world. They are the lungs of our city, and it is time that we took all steps necessary to protect their cultural, historic, Indigenous and environmental heritage. This private member's bill, which would provide state heritage listing, is an important step in that regard.

I do not know what the future holds. If we find that we are in this place in the new year, I would like to bring this bill to a head and to a vote. If I have an opportunity to do that, I will do so, but if not, I will certainly—should I be fortunate enough to be re-elected—reintroduce a similar bill after the next state election and give this place an opportunity to vote on it.

I think it is important for this parliament to take this important step of recognising the value of our iconic green space, and that is precisely what this bill does. With that, I commend the bill.