Category Archives: Enviro Mails

Aldinga Washpool

The Hon Steven Marshall MP
Premier
GPO Box 2343
Adelaide SA, 5001

Dear Premier,

RE: Conservation of the Aldinga Washpool site

I write to you as a former senior adviser to Ms Rebekha Sharkie, the Member for Mayo, with a keen interest in environmental conservation. It was during this time that I became familiar with the current situation regarding the Aldinga Washpool site.

The Aldinga Washpool is one of the last remaining coastal freshwater and estuarine lagoon systems along the Adelaide metropolitan coast and includes a threatened temperate coastal saltmarsh, which is nationally listed as a vulnerable, threatened ecological community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth).

With even limited investment in environmental restoration, the Washpool can also provide considerable social benefits and economic (environmental tourism, especially birdwatching) opportunities to the local community and its visitors.  Currently, ownership of the Washpool site is fractured amongst several Government stakeholders, including SA Water, the City of Onkaparinga, the Coastal Protection Board, and State Government Departments. There have been local community concerns that parcels of Washpool land may be sold for development.

A coalition of environmental, community and local business groups has been forming to pursue a State Government commitment to conservation of the Washpool site. A commitment to permanent conservation of the Aldinga Washpool site is an opportunity for the State Government to cement their local social, economic and environmental credentials with the Aldinga and surrounding communities within the Mawson electorate.

You would no doubt be aware that Mawson was the most marginal electorate in last the South Australian election and remains a highly marginal seat in the forthcoming 2022 State election. Labor has made a public commitment to conserve the Aldinga Washpool in its entirety, although their statements have omitted any detail on the how, when, or vision for the site.

As I understand it, your Government has been considering the conservation proposition for the Washpool for some time.

Now is the time to match – and surpass – Labor’s commitment.

A clear public commitment to a durable conservation solution for the Washpool site – for example, its annexation to the adjacent Aldinga Scrub Conservation Park – including a clear timeframe for delivery and modest investment in improving the site’s general environmental amenity, would be of great benefit to the local community and all South Australians, would outperform Labor’s commitment, and would certainly delight the gathering strength of the local coalition of environmental, community and business groups pursuing the Washpool’s conservation.

I strongly encourage the State Government to act decisively on this opportunity.

Thank you again for your time and consideration of my letter.

All the best,

Mr Michael Cornish

10 / 3 / 21

Cc Minister for the Environment, the Hon David Speirs MP
Cc Ms Sascha Meldrum, State Director, Liberal Party SA
Cc Cr Simon McMahon, South Coast Ward, City of Onkaparinga

The former Le-Cornu site

Mr Peter Tsokas
Chief Executive Officer
City of Unley
PO Box 1
Unley SA 5061

Dear Mr Tsokas

RE: Council green space and former Le-Cornu site

I am a resident of Ashford with a young family adjacent to the border of the City of Unley.  With the sale of the former Le Cornu site on Anzac Highway to Kaufland having now fallen through, I write to advocate for the City of Unley to consider turning all or part of that block into a public park.

With increasing urban density in the inner ring of Adelaide – in short, more apartment and townhouse dwellers – outdoor public green spaces are becoming increasingly important. I note that the City of Unley has performed excellently in this regard – according to the 2020 Greener Spaces, Better Places report (‘Where will all the trees be?’) your council has had an impressive 3% increase in green cover from between 2016 to 2020.  Under your stewardship, hopefully the City of Unley is willing to continue this excellent trend!

Even a thin sliver of green space at the eastern end of the allotment that also provided north-south access between Leader Street and Maple Street (as currently there is none along the length of the block) would be welcome addition for local residents and workers, making the area more permeable for people on bicycles or on foot.

May I please inquire as to whether the City of Unley has considered purchasing any or all of the site as a public green space, ideally as a park?

In the absence of broader plans, would the City of Unley consider purchasing a small north-south corridor at the eastern end of the allotment to provide at least some green space, as well as access between Maple and Leader streets?

Thank you again for your time and consideration of my letter.

All the best,

Mr Michael Cornish

1 / 3 / 21

Cc Cr Emma Wright, Goodwood Ward
Cc Cr Nicole Sheehan, Goodwood Ward