Parking reform to save thousands for SA essential workers due to groundbreaking deal

The government has come out on top in a paid-parking battle with supermarket giant Westfield to secure savings for SA essential workers.

Shoppers and retail workers have staved off high parking fees in a deal that also secured discounted parking for the state’s hospital workers, Labor has revealed.

An agreement forged between Labor and the Greens secured passage for the Private Parking Areas Amendment Bill – which passed through the Upper House on Thursday – that would effectively ban a paid-parking scheme at Westfield Tea Tree Plaza.

It is the latest in an ongoing stand-off between the state government and Westfield, who lodged a planning application last year to install boom gates and pay stations in its Tea Tree Plaza carpark.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the passage of the Bill was a “win for the people of the northeast” who joined the state government in standing up to the supermarket giant.

“We committed in opposition that if we were successful at the election we would introduce legislation to stop boom gates from being introduced at Tea Tree Plaza,” he said.

“Now because of this agreement with the Greens, that legislation is set to pass.”

Hospital workers with a permit will have to pay $2.50 for parking per day but are also afforded free public transport for their commute to and from hospital.

There are approximately 17,000 permits available for healthcare workers across the state.

“$2.50 carparking; that’s cheaper than a cup of coffee,” Greens MP member Robert Simms said.

“In a cost-of-living crisis this is going to be a really important breakthrough for these workers,” he said.

Security was on-site on Tuesday morning after Westfield Tea Tree Plaza announced its carpark would be closed at night. Picture: Supplied,

Lyell McEwin Hospital cardiac physiologist Josh Rose said the decision has been handed down after it was proposed to raise the parking fee to $6 per day.

“This is a big step forward to addressing the issues that we face on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

“In an ideal world it would be lovely for it be free but we are on a much higher wage on average than retail workers so it is more swallowable for us.”

SDA – the state’s largest union – secretary Josh Peak said the passage of legislation would be a “great outcome for retail workers, businesses, customers, and community members” at Tea Tree Plaza.

“For over 18 months, Scentre Group has refused to listen to northeast residents and workers and refused to back away from their paid parking plans,” he said.

“This legislation will stop multimillion-dollar corporate behemoths from putting their profits ahead of the interests of our communities.

“We hope the Parliament sends a clear message to Scentre Group today: boom gates don’t belong at TTP.”

Pulse Hair & Beauty – located at Tea Tree Plaza – owner Paul Scanlon said if the boom gates had gone ahead workers and clients would have suffered.

“Depending on the service they are reviewing clients can spend between three to six hours at the store,” he said.

“Some customers might have been turned away by those prices. If we lost one or two customers a week, that is a lot of money.”

Scentre Group director of development Stewart White said the company was “disappointed Labor had passed a law which introduces red tape and ministerial bureaucracy”.

“We provided a sensible set of amendments to the bill including to ensure a fairer and more transparent process and are disappointed these have been ignored,” he said.

Planning opposition spokeswoman Michelle Lensink said hospital workers would receive “a worse deal under Labor” than under the Liberals’ amendments to the bill.

“It is sheer hypocrisy to provide free parking for one set of workers while the workers on the other side of the road will have to pay $2.50 a day,” she said.