Premier Peter Malinauskas takes on heritage, parkland campaigners over new Women’s and Children’s Hospital site | Paul Starick

The Premier will tackle head-on Adelaide’s powerful heritage and parklands lobbies over his new WCH site, writes Paul Starick. But will most South Aussies back him?

The safety of sick children and women is being pitted against a predictably intense heritage furore as Premier Peter Malinauskas rolls out the biggest measure in the health agenda that catapulted him into office.

The self-confessed “pretty average footy player” is tackling head-on Adelaide’s influential parklands and heritage lobbies, potentially spearheaded by former Labor minister and Lord Mayoral candidate Jane Lomax-Smith.

Mr Malinauskas will try to push special legislation through parliament to overcome planning complications, effectively daring political opponents to put heritage and parklands considerations ahead of expert judgments about the best site.

He is banking on support from mainstream South Australians for his and Health Minister Chris Picton’s argument that the 40,000 sqm Thebarton Police Barracks is the best site for the new $3.2bn Women’s and Children’s Hospital, in the long-term state interest.

The latest artist impression of the new Women's and Children's hospital, which is proposed for the Thebarton Police Barracks. PIcture: SA Government .

Their central case is that this is a decision with consequences lasting a century, given the foundation stone for the existing North Adelaide site was laid on June 20, 1878.

The police barracks site, the government argues, gives room for both the new hospital and the Royal Adelaide Hospital to expand, rather than being confined by the previous site choice.

Medically, they argue an expert team has considered all sites and argued the police barracks site allows all critical care services to be on the same floor, allows better road access for ambulances, and has direct connections to parklands and green space.

But Mr Malinauskas and Mr Picton acknowledge “locating the new WCH on the barracks site will require the removal of existing buildings, including some buildings which are assessed as having heritage value”.

They argue the site is not accessible parklands because it is now a police secure area.

This is poised to become a central issue in the Lord Mayoral contest and Adelaide City Council election, for which ballot mailouts start in mid-October.

The new site of the proposed Women's and Children's Hospital, taken from the RAH rooftop . Picture: Paul Starick

Health Minister Chris Picton with Premier Peter Malinaukas arriving to announce a different new site for the new WCH. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

Dr Lomax-Smith, a former Adelaide MP, in 2007 opposed plans from Mike Rann’s Labor government, in which she was education minister, to build a permanent grandstand in Victoria Park for the Adelaide 500 supercar race.

She gave voice to parklands campaigners, who have legitimate arguments about preserving Adelaide’s green belt. Ultimately, the grandstand plan was torpedoed and Dr Lomax-Smith lost her seat in 2010.

Despite the ironic similarities, this is a different time, place and issue. Like the Adelaide Oval upgrade debate that started in 2009, this is a contest of SA’s willingness to embrace pragmatic change in the wider state interest.

Like the Oval, it will be a battle between narrow civic interests, focused on heritage and parklands, and the level of support from mainstream South Australians who want a new, future-proof hospital.