Malinauskas told parliament on Wednesday afternoon that the government was “actively considering all options” to house SA Police’s Mounted Operations Unit, despite a recommendation from Police Commissioner Grant Stevens to locate them at Mirnu Wirra (Park 21 West or Golden Wattle Park).

SA Police was given $2m to find a new location to house the police horses after the Malinauskas Government’s controversial decision last September to raze the state heritage-listed Thebarton barracks for a new $3.2bn hospital.

Legislation that passed parliament in November allowed SA Police to select another patch of park lands to house the police horses at no land acquisition cost to the government.

In March, SA Police nominated Park 21W – an eight-hectare plot of city park land on the corner of Greenhill Road and Sir Lewis Cohen Avenue – as its first preference.

But the plan to put buildings and fencing for a barracks housing up to 40 police horses, dogs and staff in the southern park lands is opposed by Adelaide and Unley councils and environmental groups.

Conservation groups argue the park is home to “priceless regenerated bushland”, including a number of rare native flowers and 15 different native plant specifies. A public protest was held in Park 21W in March.

Following questions about the Park 21W decision in parliament today, Malinauskas said: “The government has received advice from South Australian Police that its preferred location as things stand for the relocation of the Mounted Operations Unit is to the south park lands site.”

“But as it currently stands, the government has not made a final decision to go ahead with that site.

“We are actively considering all options we reasonably can.”

Malinauskas said SA Police had a “very rigid set of requirements” for housing the Mounted Operations Unit which the state government “takes very seriously”.

“We’ve all been working through the options as best as we can to make sure we meet police’s needs as best as possible,” he said.

“And we want to make that decision as quickly as possible so as to facilitate the relocation of the Thebarton barracks site ASAP.”

Attorney-General Kyam Maher told parliament in October that every three months of delay on the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital build will cost the state government $25 million.

The Opposition, which is trying to establish a select committee inquiry into the government’s management of the park lands, is opposed to relocating the police barracks to Park 21W.

Shadow assistant heritage minister Jack Batty asked the Premier whether Park 21W would remain open space.

The Premier responded that Park 21W was “open to the public now”.

“Wherever the Mounted Operations Unit goes, it will have elements of it that are accessible to the public and elements of it that aren’t,” Malinauskas said.

The Premier’s comments come after he was confronted by park lands protestors at a community forum earlier this month.

The Adelaide Park Lands Association (APLA) said the Premier indicated to the protestors that the government was looking at alternative sites to Park 21W.

The APLA is planning a second protest in Park 21W on June 4.

Earlier today, the government voted to adjourn debate for a second time on a Greens Bill to add the Adelaide park lands to the state heritage register.

Labor indicated to the Upper House last October that it would not support the legislation – despite backing it before the election.

“Peter Malinauskas is laying the foundations to avoid supporting this crucial Bill to protect Adelaide’s Park Lands because Labor clearly has plans to send in more bulldozers, knock over trees, crush native vegetation and precious habitat,” Opposition leader David Speirs said today.

“We need this Bill to preserve the Adelaide Park Lands and I can’t understand why Peter Malinauskas is hell-bent on keeping the special area open for future development.”