Adelaide Lord Mayoral candidates on WCH, council culture and parklands
We asked each Lord Mayor wannabe 10 burning questions, including where they stand on the new WCH. One refused to answer nearly every question.
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The new Women’s and Children’s Hospital proposed for the Adelaide parklands is one of the most contentious issues facing Adelaide City Council over the next four year term. The city’s future development, fiscal responsibility and council culture will also be under scrutiny from the public. The Advertiser asked the five mayoral candidates Vivek Gupta, Jane Lomax-Smith, Sandy Verschoor, Rex Patrick and Steven Kelly what they thought of 10 pressing questions.
1. Do you support the WCH being built at the Thebarton Barracks site?
VG: Yes, I do but I would have asked for something in return, for the parklands. I do because SAPOL site offers 7 per cent more clinical benefits over RAH West and eventually, it will require expansion.
JLS: This is not about supporting or not supporting a hospital. In a civil society we should have both, and not create a choice between preserving our irreplaceable parklands and having a new hospital.
SV: I fully support the need for a new WCH. I believe, given that the facilities within the new WCH are now ‘stand alone’ that is no longer a requirement to build adjacent to the nRAH, rather another site could be considered, such as the SA Brewery or Coca Cola site, both within an easy distance.
RP: No. The government’s own study shows that you can have a hospital and heritage and parklands, and that’s what we should aim to achieve.
SK: Refused to respond.
2. What changes, if any, do you think need to be made to the 88 O’Connell and Market Square developments?
VG: We can’t sue and we can’t stop these now, but I would still like a fresh legal advice. The best thing would be to ensure that after such sweet deals, they don’t prey on small tenants and those who will contribute to the success and vibrancy of these developments.
JLS: It would be extremely unwise for a council candidate to attempt to unravel a signed contract especially when a building is underway. There is however much to learn from the failures in the current council’s record of community consultation and consistency.
SV: Eighty Eight O’Connell is incredibly exciting development for North Adelaide and I’m proud that our council finally got action underway on the site after 30 years of it sitting idle. Market Square will see a curated expansion of our beloved Central Market.
RP: I think the 88 O’Connell Street development is out of character with the North Adelaide streetscape, but noting contracts are in place I think it would be difficult to remedy this. We must learn from this experience and not repeat errors made
SK: Refused to respond
3. Do you want to keep the Adelaide Economic Development Authority in its current format and funding?
VG: No. AEDA’s job is to help investors, but it has become the ‘rationale’ for all the decisions we do not agree with in this city. AEDA’s approval is supposed to mean something – for the public, not for the investors.
JLS: The issues the council needs to address urgently are retail tenancy vacancies, and under-utilised office space together with the housing crisis and staffing skills shortages. AEDA work well within their remit and may have a role in these challenges, but they will primarily require high-level leadership and negotiation by the Lord Mayor.
SV: Yes. I am very supportive of the work of AEDA and strongly recommend those who wish to know more to read the Annual Report. (Ms Verschoor acknowledged a conflict of interest, as she is on the board).
RP: Having a dedicated body to focus on the city’s economic development is a good thing, but an assessment into whether AEDA is achieving value-for-money needs to be carried out and changes made accordingly.
SK: Refused to respond
4. What will you do to develop the arts/festival/live music economy in the Adelaide CBD?
VG: Not much until we fix the basics; the council’s job is to support, not develop or invest, especially when we have no money. We can provide rent-free event spaces and promote them, but the best we can do is not become a bureaucratic barrier to the arts/music scene.
JLS: Some candidates in one faction have promised a large grant for this purpose but the Lord Mayor in a non-party political environment would be unwise to make such claims. I believe all economic investments should ensure a community dividend or legacy beyond the ticket sales to deliver a benefit, an experience or a training opportunity to ratepayers.
SV: As a UNESCO city of music and Australia’s best festival city, we need to resource for success. We need to reinvigorate Adelaide as the festival city in our state tourism marketing.
RP: Arts and entertainment make for a vibrant city and needs to be supported by the council in conjunction with the state government and SA Tourism.
SK: Refused to respond.
5. How would you restore community confidence in the Adelaide City Council?
VG: By live-streaming the most critical debates, so that we know the public is watching. No one on the council should be allowed to blame someone when they’re not there to defend themselves.
JLS: The council voting roll needs cleaning up as a priority and the new council must show consistent focus on genuine issues affecting ratepayers and residents. None of us want the ongoing reputational damage to our capital city and if I am the next Lord Mayor, I will use my skills and experience to work with the newly elected council to produce outcomes for our community and state.
SV: Communicate the good work that we do in more meaningful ways and more often. Engage with community through a ‘Your Voice’ forum held in Town Hall to create a new community engagement framework based on transparency, inclusiveness and being able respond to the challenges and opportunities that will undoubtable present themselves in the next four years.
RP: The council needs to refocus on things that matter to the residents and businesses of the city and North Adelaide. People need to see the council working to deal with issues that are important to them, and not spend their time engaging in petty point scoring.
SK: Refused to respond.
6. What would you do to maintain good behaviour and relationships within the council?
VG: Require nine votes for all medium/major projects, the council is made up of factions because the city is made up of factions. I’d like to provide the dissenters a medium to articulate to the public their own reasoning; it all comes down to respecting the minority opinion.
JLS: There appears to have been a winner takes all ethos within the council with promotion of a ruling group and fractured relationships in the chamber. As an unaligned mayoral candidate, I have always believed that the person in the chair creates the environment, and that there should be respect for all opinions and elected members.
SV: The new Local Government behavioural standards framework will assist in our ability to press the reset button. I will bring all new and returning councillors together so that we can agree on how we will work together going forward.
RP: I will use my experience from the Senate and my independence to engage all councillors respectfully to try to get consensus outcomes. Small losses for a councillor in one area of interest can be offset by wins in other areas of interest.
SK: Refused to respond.
7. What would you do to maintain a good working relationship between the council and the state government?
VG: In halls of power, ‘good working relationship’ is a myth. I’d invite the premier to publicly debate an issue, so that the people know who they can blame, or provide the credit to; for example, I support WCH, but not 88 O’Connell.
JLS: The Lord Mayor will inevitably have differences of opinion with the premier but overwhelmingly there will be scope to collaborate on housing, tourism, arts policy, education, infrastructure, employment, economic development and technology. Fortunately, I understand government and have good relationships with key ministers.
SV: Continue to have open communications with the premier and ministers.
Present solutions to the complex problems and focus on our combined vision for the state including delivery of the City Plan, affordable residential growth and real climate action.
RP: The council needs to work respectfully with the state government, but it also has to be strong on important local issues such as parklands and heritage protection and well thought out development.
SK: Refused to respond
8. What do you believe is the biggest issue facing the Adelaide City Council in its next term?
VG: The courage and conviction to convince the public – a leader must bring the case to the public for unsavoury and complex issues we must resolve for the future. If the people cannot make hard choices, the council becomes powerless to affect any long-term progress.
JLS: I have said consistently that the big issues are retail sustainability, office vacancy rates, the housing crisis and the skills shortage. More affordable housing for the young and essential workers will support the retail sector and together with collaboration in training, help the skills shortage in the city.
SV: We as a chamber, as an elected body need to evolve, embrace change, think differently, make tough decisions for the long term to ensure our city and state is the best it can be. We need to keep costs low, and focus on our spend to have the greatest positive impact for our ratepayers and continue to protect and preserve our parklands.
RP: The city needs to have a 20-year city plan that all stakeholders can work to. Ad hoc development must come to an end.
SK: Refused to respond.
9. What would you do to deliver the council’s long term strategy while maintaining fiscal responsibility?
VG: I’d stop everything non-essential, restarting each one on its individual merit and hire a new panel to evaluate everything transparently, with absolute loyalty to this city. Secondly, I’d push the state government and developers to develop a $1bn plan for the next 40 to 50 years.
JLS: Budget management is about balancing aspirations against capacity. It certainly requires far better project and contract management than we have seen recently. Having been responsible for budgets far larger than those at the city council, I understand it is about choices and discipline.
SV: The work of the last term has delivered a fiscally responsible, transparent, balanced annual and long term budget for the first time in nine years, preparing the way for delivery of long term strategy. We will continue to work closely with our audit and risk committee, whose four independent members provide invaluable, independent advice and recommendations to the council.
RP: Having a long-term strategy can be a contributor to fiscal responsibility, along with professional and disciplined management of council resources to achieve short, medium and long term objectives.
SK: Refused to respond.
10. What is your biggest goal if you become Lord Mayor?
VG: To promote and support healthy capitalism and to stop those whose business is the council itself. One has a right to every profit for a genuine service/product we receive as a city but, we must stop those who, exploit public purse, and make the council face the public.
JLS: The next Lord Mayor should restore competency and confidence. When the council can provide services, projects and amenity without being seen as a low rent reality show, it can begin to operate with ambition, audacity and imagination.
SV: For Adelaide to be recognised at the most liveable (and creative) city in the world.
RP: Bring the council together, get the parklands world heritage listed develop a city plan to guide the city’s development.
SK: Refused to respond.
Ballots in the local government elections close at 5pm on Thursday. Votes must now be delivered to your local council, after the postal deadline closed.
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