Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In Adelaide's north we have long memories. Residents in the city of Playford have had to endure their share of fizzers, spanning from a hotel to a carpark that ratepayers spent millions on yet no-one uses—white elephants hidden in plain sight. Under the leadership of Mayor Glenn Docherty, the City of Playford has too often prioritised publicity over planning and focused on ribbon-cutting events before due diligence. But this isn't about personalities; it's about priorities. It's about how every dollar spent on these vanity projects is a dollar not spent fixing local roads, parks and community facilities.

The ice arena in Elizabeth is yet another one of these projects. When the City of Playford sought my support for federal funding for this project, I declined, making it clear that they should instead focus on delivering long-overdue local road and infrastructure upgrades that have been overlooked for far too long. These are the projects I will support every day of the week. The ice arena was given development approval back in April last year, hailed by many as a huge win for the north with few downsides. Now, I'm told that, as of late last week, residents only have until 20 November to make submissions on the ice arena after the developers proposed a number of changes. You'd have known this if you drove past the site and scanned the QR code on a sign they placed there. It leads to a 143-page document outlining these changes. It's a token consultation if ever I saw it! Despite this, I strongly encourage locals to use the next 15 days to make a submission and make your voices heard.

In their application, we can see their original plans being put on ice, and many aspects of this development are being pared back entirely. The elite rock climbing gym, basement car parking, basketball courts, playground, restaurant and outdoor dining area and more are all gone; although, we've been assured that the ice arena in Elizabeth isn't skating on thin ice, like the arena that was proposed in the city of Marion. We're also assured that ratepayers will not end up paying for this development. What aren't you telling us, Mayor Docherty?

I welcome investment in the north and I welcome ambition, but I don't accept poor judgement calls. I encourage the City of Playford to stop with the secrecy and act with integrity to ensure we are not left with another cost blowout for ratepayers to clean up. Start prioritising the basics. We deserve delivery and not more debt and disappointment. It's time to pull up your socks, Mayor Docherty. Get on the program and start engaging in good faith with the entire ratepayer community in the city of Playford. Enough with a smoke and mirrors. Come out of the dark and be honest with everyone in our community.

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