Our forefathers would have built the grandstand. We can all be grateful that earlier generations knew how to make a decision and, more importantly, how to see it through. They decided that Adelaide would be surrounded by parklands, making us a truly unique and beautiful city.

 

Our leaders of the past also thought it would be nice if there were some encouragements for people to actually use and enjoy those parklands. They gave us sporting fields, Adelaide Oval, the Botanic Garden and, of course, Victoria Park Racecourse.

 

Each new facility has encouraged people into the parklands. They each foster a sense of vibrancy in our city, which has helped to establish a reputation for hosting events and festivals of such calibre that it allows us to attract money spinners to our state.

 

Yet each comes at a price of restricting access. There’s no walking your dog through the middle of a game of touch footy in the south parklands. Don’t try having a picnic in the middle of Adelaide Oval on game day, or any day, for that matter. And the gates to the Botanic Garden are locked, keeping everybody out, each and every night of the year.

 

So why is the use of Victoria Park and its proposed new grandstand facility such a controversy nowadays? Access to Victoria Park is already restricted on race days and for the Clipsal 500. Some, it would seem, are using the new development as a cloak for their dreams of closing down most, if not all, of these activities. This new facility has the potential to turn Victoria Park into a world-class venue, with quality infrastructure as against the ramshackle assortment of unattractive outbuildings. Rather than recognising this, a noisy few are suing every trick in the book to stop progress. Incredibly the anti-development forces were led out of the starting blocks by the State Government’s Tourism Minister, Jane Lomax-Smith.

 

The same people, including minister Lomax-Smith, who complain every year about the length of time taken to build the temporary grandstands, pit lane and corporate facilities are now opposing a development that would reduce the scope of that temporary build. They complain about the state of disrepair for many of Victoria Park’s existing permanent buildings, yet oppose their replacement with new and modern infrastructure.

 

One of the most amazing arguments to come from opponents is that the proposed building will be dominated by corporate hospitality, not public facilities. Well, let’s deal in reality – events like the Clipsal 500 and major race meetings only exist by virtue of corporate sponsorship. That’s how you make the costs of hosting them stack up. You either provide the facilities for sponsors or you kiss the event goodbye. It’s that simple.

 

There will still be public grandstands. There will still be general admission access. All members of the public will still be able to access events for both forms of horse power. Nothing will change in that regard; there will just be a permanent building that provides better quality service for the Clipsal 500 and facilities that will allow the racing industry to turn Victoria Park into a venue of which any other city would be proud.

 

With the city council poised to reject the proposal, it is time the State Government made it clear this development will go ahead. Rather than conspicuously leaving it to his deputy to sell and his Tourism Minister to undermine, the Premier Mike Rann should demonstrate some leadership and introduce legislation to make it happen.

 

Adelaide boasts 760ha of parklands. We can truly have our cake and eat it too. We can have plenty of open space while also carefully developing facilities that actually encourage more people into the parklands to make use of that open space. This city’s forefathers knew it. They made things happen, even in the parklands. We should take a leaf out of their books.