Adelaide Tesla factory backlash as Marion locals revolt over Chestnut Court Reserve sale

The Premier and the local mayor have now given their thoughts on the wave of anti-Elon Musk sentiment at the heart of opposition to plans for an Adelaide factory.

The mayor of the local council at the heart of a wave of opposition to an Adelaide Tesla factory says local protests are unlikely to affect the controversial South African billionaire.

Marion Mayor Kris Hanna says he will take a wave of local submission against plans for a Tesla battery factory at Tonsley, but said public opinion on the company’s owner was generally not taken into account in planning decisions.

His comments come after Premier Peter Malinauskas also said Tesla was welcome in SA in the wake of public backlash over plans to sell a disused park to the tech giant.

“Any time we see any big, major industrial investment in our state, in my view, it is welcome,” Mr Malinauskas said on Monday.

“Mr Musk’s politics, while I violently disagree with them … that’s his prerogative.”

Mr Malinauskas also highlighted Tesla as “a company that has a pretty good track record in South Australia, particularly when it comes to renewables”.

Tesla, SpaceX and X CEO Elon Musk speaks during an inauguration event at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Picture: Christopher Furlong /Getty Images via AFP

“If there’s an irony here, it’s that a company that has profited quite substantially off progressive investment in renewable technology, has an owner who is advocating against thoughtful decarbonisation strategies,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“(But) if he wants to spend money in South Australia, creating jobs for South Australians, I’m fine with that.”

In a letter to residents in April, Marion Council said the proposal to sell off Chestnut Court Reserve to a developer that wants to build a Tesla battery factory, servicing facility and vehicle showroom would create significant financial benefits.

But residents have reacted with fury, complaining about the company’s controversial owner and the loss of public green space and tree coverage – despite the heavily contaminated reserve having been closed to the public since 2016.

Of nearly 1000 responses to the council’s community consultation last month, 897 – about 90 per cent – did not support the proposal, while a mere 51 were in favour.

Marion Mayor: ‘You won’t hurt Elon Musk’

Mayor of Marion, Kris Hanna said the council “welcome to feedback from the community” and will consider this as “one important factor” when discussing the issue at Tuesday’s council meeting.

“There are significant economic benefits including an estimated 100 new full-time jobs in our community,” Mr Hanna said of the proposal.

“The facility will be used to repurpose Tesla batteries by recovering materials in used lithium-ion batteries to create new batteries.”

Along with criticisms of Musk’s involvement, many locals have expressed concern that the project will lead to the removal of 58 trees and disrupt natural habitats and tree coverage in the area.

However, Mr Hanna said the council have been in conversation with the developers who have advised “that they can save three of the four significant trees”.

Mayor of Marion, Kris Hanna. Picture: AAP/Emma Brasier

In response to anti-Elon Musk sentiment the mayor also pointed out that “contracts and developments approvals do not generally involve character assessment of their owners”.

“Tesla already operates a service hub at the Tonsley Innovation District,” Mr Hanna said.

“If we say ‘No’ to Tesla, it will not hurt Elon Musk; Tesla will just find somewhere else in Australia for their factory.”

Mr Musk, the world’s richest man, has become a hugely polarising figure thanks to his close association with US President Donald Trump, promotion of right-wing conspiracies on his social media platform X, and savage cuts to services as head of the US Department of Government Efficiency.

Anti-Elon Musk wave in Adelaide Tesla factory backlash

Residents took to Facebook to share their opposition, with one labelling the proposed plan “a noisy, ugly, planet-destroying temple to billionaires”.

“Tesla is a horrible business for the City of Marion to even consider providing this land to,” another resident said

Community members have created a website called ‘Trees Not Teslas’ to oppose the facility, stating that it risks “bringing protests to the area, gives the community a bad image, and hurts Tonsley’s reputation”.

City of Marion councillor Sarah Luscombe opposes the plans and wants the council to explore other options.

“If council wants to do more to activate the land then it could be put out to open tender to more local companies who could innovate and do something with the land for conservation biodiversity (and) improve tree canopy,” Ms Luscombe said.

The parcel of council land is sandwiched between two areas owned by the state, with Tesla looking to purchase the whole area.

Marion locals against the Tesla Battery Factory plans for Chestnut Court Reserve. Picture: Ben Clark

Ms Luscombe said that the council should “think really carefully” about the decision as Chestnut Court Reserve is currently a “linchpin” in negotiations.

“If we say no to this it actually means that the whole project is very unlikely to go ahead,” she said.

“We know the land is contaminated so we can’t necessarily turn it back into a park again … but if we put it out to the market who knows what we can get.”

Local resident Jane Preston said she was concerned about the trees that face the chop if the planned facility goes ahead.

“I am not totally opposed to the Tesla battery – I know that the local community are because of the association with Elon Musk, however … my main concern is that the land is contaminated and that they can remediate that with actually planting more trees,” she said.

“Marion Council has one of the lowest tree canopy covers, they’ve got 15 per cent and it has been reported that we need 30 per cent so they have got half – we want to try and save as many as we can.”

Tesla and MAB CCT have been contacted for comment.

Originally published as Adelaide Tesla factory backlash as Marion locals revolt over Chestnut Court Reserve sale