But the Premier refused again today to reveal where those options are, saying this would “unreasonably inflate expectations or anxiety within the community”.

The state government has since August 2022 been weighing up where to house SA Police’s Mounted Operations Unit following its controversial decision to raze the state heritage listed Thebarton barracks for a new $3.2bn hospital.

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

Nearly three months later, the state government is still yet to decide whether to accept SA Police’s first preference, with multiple departments investigating potential alternatives.

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, with another protest against the move held on Sunday.

Malinauskas confirmed today that Park 21W remains one of “about four options” being considered for the new police horse barracks.

SA Police wants its new home for police horses and dogs to be at Park 21W in the southern park lands. Photo: Angela Skujins/CityMag

He said the government was reaching the “finality” of its search process.

“We would like to have our final decision announced ideally before the end of this week, but if not then, certainly next week,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning.

“At the moment we’re down to about four options as things currently stand.”

Malinauskas said there was “one other park lands site” that is being considered outside of Park 21W.

The state Opposition has previously claimed that SA Police’s second preference is Ellis Park/Tampawardli (Park 24) in the western park lands, located between Sir Donald Bradman Drive and West Terrace.

It has also speculated that up to 14 sites have been considered for the relocation.

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

But the list of land options for the new barracks has remained secret, with SA Police refusing to release a trove of documents that would reveal its land options to house the police horses.

A protracted freedom of information (FOI) battle between SA Police and former senator Rex Patrick over documents which would reveal the sites under consideration has remained unresolved.

Patrick’s FOI request was filed in October 2022, after which SA Police requested an extension and then refused access to 21 documents within the scope of Patrick’s request.

The state Ombudsman has made a provisional determination that SA Police’s reasoning for keeping confidential 19 of those documents – including one titled: “SAPOL barracks relocation options, Renewal SA” – was incorrect.

The Ombudsman found that the “interest in promoting transparency around agency decision-making is particularly relevant” and it was “not clear to me how disclosure of (the Renewal SA document) would prejudice the protection of the commercial or financial interests of any party”.

However, the Ombudsman is yet to make a final determination ordering SA Police to release the documents, and the Police can wait 30 days to consider whether to appeal.

The protracted FOI process means the documents are more than likely to remain under wraps until after the state government announces its relocation decision.

Asked today why the state government was not releasing the options for consultation, Malinauskas said: “Simply because we don’t want to unreasonably inflate expectations or anxiety within the community.”

“The government’s got to make a decision within that timeframe that I refer to for a range of reasons,” he said.

“But principally, because we want to get work started on the brand new Women’s and Children’s Hospital ASAP.”

The Premier later added that “the park lands are for everyone… and that’s something that the government’s got top of mind”.

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.

On Sunday, hundreds of people attended a rally in Park 21W organised by the Adelaide Park Lands Association to protest moving the police horses into the southern park lands.

The protestors attempted to stretch out across an eight hectare plot of land on Park 21W with umbrellas to “Provide Cover for Mirnu Wirra”.

[solstice_jwplayer mediaid=”FEWBw5WB” title=”Umbrealla protest in Park 21W” caption=”Video: Aussie Kanck” /]

The protest was supported by conservation groups including Trees for Life, the Conservation Council and the Nature Conservation Society.

The protest was also backed by the state Opposition, with shadow assistant minister for environment and heritage Jack Batty calling for the state government to ditch Park 21W and publicly release its options for housing the new barracks.

The Malinauskas Government’s police horse decision will form one part of a parliamentary inquiry that was established last week into the management of the Adelaide park lands.

The inquiry will be held by the Economic and Finance committee, whose Liberal members voted through the probe on Thursday morning in the absence of two Labor MPs – despite the government and crossbenchers SA-Best voting down the inquiry in the Upper House.