Advertisement

‘Embarrassing’: Labor’s video pledge not to raze state heritage buildings

The State Government has been accused of hypocrisy over its decision to build a new hospital on the state heritage-listed Thebarton Police Barracks site, after video emerged of then-Opposition environment spokesperson – now Minister – Susan Close telling a pre-election forum that “Labor has absolutely no intention of knocking over any state heritage place”.

Sep 28, 2022, updated Sep 28, 2022
Part of the historic Thebarton barracks complex. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

Part of the historic Thebarton barracks complex. Photo: Tony Lewis/InDaily

Heritage advocates – including the SA Heritage Council – were blindsided by the Government’s announcement yesterday that it would raze the state heritage-listed 100-year-old Thebarton Police Barracks to make way for a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Keith Conlon, chair of the SA Heritage Council, said it was an unprecedented attack on heritage conservation and has vowed to “stand in front of the bulldozers”.

Now, video has emerged of Close in February telling a forum organised by the National Trust ahead of the March state election that Labor would introduce special legislation to protect – rather than destroy – important heritage places.

 

Well @alpsa has certainly changed its tune when it comes to heritage sites ???
Susan Close in February: pic.twitter.com/cFmwwoIapL

— SA Liberal Media (@SALibMedia) September 28, 2022

During the forum, Close said the Waite Gatehouse would have been the first state heritage place to be demolished if it had not been “saved by the people of South Australia”.

“What we will do in government is change the legislation so that if there were to be such a proposal in the future – and Labor has absolutely no intention of knocking over any state heritage place – but in order to change the rules for the future we would ensure there would be required public consultation on that, which didn’t occur,” she said.

“And the state Heritage Council would be able to make a report on the impact and that that would be public. Because the state Heritage Council was completely locked out of the question of the gatehouse.”

Opposition leader David Speirs told reporters this afternoon that it was “pretty embarrassing” for Susan Close.

“Just six short months ago… Susan Close is categoric in her claims where the Labor party if elected will not demolish any state heritage buildings,” he said.

“Say one thing before the election and do something completely different after the election. Keep a group of interest groups happy on one hand before the election and then thumb your nose at them after the election.

“She made it very clear under a Labor government there would be no demolition of state heritage-listed buildings. She’s been very quiet on all of this. She’s kept herself completely out of the fray in recent days but it’s pretty embarrassing for Susan Close going forward.”

In a statement, Close told InDaily this afternoon: “The proposed changes to heritage legislation flagged before the election were to allow for the Heritage Council to make a public report on any works affecting heritage sites.”

“We will honour that commitment and ask the Heritage Council to undertake a report on the heritage values at the barracks and will consult with the public on how those values can be preserved as part of the hospital project. This could be through the capturing of photos, data, objects and stories,” she said.

“The Malinauskas government was elected with a mandate to fix our health system which means having to make tough decisions like this.”

Earlier today, Premier Peter Malinauskas told reporters it was a “difficult decision” to build a new hospital on a state heritage site which “will upset some members of the community who care about heritage… but our job is to get on with building a bigger hospital that will actually look after sick women and children for 50 to 100 years”.

Speirs said there were still “many, many unanswered questions” about the new WCH project.

“What are the hidden costs with keeping the old Women’s and Children’s Hospital online for an extra five years?” he said.

“Keeping the old hospital in North Adelaide online for that extra period of time is going to we believe cost upward of one quarter of a billion dollars…tens of millions of dollars each year.”

Health Minister Chris Picton said the Government was currently spending $30 million to upgrade the WCH but acknowledged much more would need to be spent although he wouldn’t put a dollar figure on it.

“There is $30 million that’s being spent at the moment and there has been ongoing sustainment works at this hospital for a long time now because, let’s be frank, this is a hospital that was earmarked to be replaced nine years ago now,” he said.

“Clearly we have, through the team at the WCH, they’ve been working through the highest priority sustainment issues and they’re now working through what the next level of detail will be in terms of other sustainment issues that need to be balanced and addressed in the hospital.

“It’s a balance – we want to make sure that we are upgrading areas as they need to be upgraded but also making sure that we are not sending good money after bad but there is clear issues where there will have to be more work at the hospital.”

The State Government also today revealed the proposed allocation of 70 additional beds at the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital which it says will form part of detailed consultation with clinicians.

They include extra beds for paediatric medical, mental health, paediatric intensive care, surgical, oncology, adolescent, adult ICU and obstetrics.

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InDaily.
All rights reserved.