Premier Peter Malinauskas has rejected suggestions his government’s North Adelaide golf course redevelopment is a risky investment.<\/p>\n
“The minister has imposed this ‘protected area’ in recognition of the clear views from consultation that this site is both culturally significant and spiritually important.<\/p>\n
“It is an area that was already significant prior to colonisation and, following the establishment of the government mission there in 1839, this significance took on another aspect.”<\/p>\n
It will mean there are 31 conditions imposed on the applicant of the project “to ensure Aboriginal heritage will be managed as respectfully as possible during project works”.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said other conditions included requiring the applicant to consult with Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation (KYAC) and key Kaurna traditional owners “to incorporate Kaurna values, stories, art, language and history into the project’s design and delivery” and “avoid and protect in situ any discovered Aboriginal remains, remnants and Aboriginal heritage”.<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said the decision followed wider community consultation.<\/p>\n
“The minister thanks the Kaurna community and all Aboriginal parties who contributed their time and views on this important matter,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Mr Maher said the outcome came after “extensive consultation with Kaurna elders, Kaurna traditional owners and community members”.<\/p>\n
“That is in recognition of the very significant cultural heritage values of that area \u2014 both from pre-European contact, but also and really importantly, in early days of European contact,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It was that area that contained the Kaurna language school with Lutheran missionaries from Germany setting up a school and setting up a mission during first contact there.”<\/p>\n
‘Conditions aren’t about delivering a project’<\/p>\n
Mr Maher said the “protected area” would not allow “further development on that part of the golf course” and covered the par three course \u2014 an area “from the River Torrens up to the road”.<\/p>\n
“For the rest of the golf course \u2014 the north and the south 18-hole golf course \u2014 redevelopment will be allowed but under very strict conditions,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Thirty-one conditions that aim to protect Aboriginal heritage to make sure that if anything is found \u2014 any sites or objects \u2014 that they are properly respected.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kyam Maher has granted authorisations with strict conditions under the Aboriginal Heritage Act. (ABC News: Che Chorley)<\/p>\n
Adelaide will be home to the LIV Golf tournament in Australia until 2031, with the tournament playing at Grange and Kooyonga golf clubs in 2026 and 2027 respectively.<\/p>\n
In June, controversial laws that allowed the SA government to push ahead with plans to redevelop the North Adelaide Golf Course, and move the LIV Golf tournament into the city, passed parliament.<\/p>\n
The government is pushing to have the site ready to host LIV Golf in the city in 2028.<\/p>\n
Asked if the redevelopment of the North Adelaide golf course would be finished in time to host LIV Golf, Mr Maher said: “The process under the Aboriginal Heritage Act isn’t concerned with the delivery of a project.”<\/p>\n
“What it [the Act] is concerned about is how Aboriginal heritage is treated,” he said.<\/p>\n
“These conditions aren’t about delivering a project, they’re about making sure that Aboriginal heritage is respected as part of any redevelopment.<\/p>\n
“As the design rolls on, as the design is undertaken, it will have to take into account these 31 conditions.”<\/p>\n
Potential for ‘heritage to be discovered’<\/p>\n
The state government earlier this year unveiled plans to invest in an approximately $50 million Greg Norman-designed upgrade to the North Adelaide golf course.<\/p>\n
It is not yet known how many new buildings will be constructed on the parklands course and how many trees will be cut down.<\/p>\n
However, a government document stated the project would involve “ground disturbing works” to create a “world-class golf course that would include expanding and reshaping the existing courses to create a new 18-hole championship course, the establishment of additional amenities, such as a new driving range, mini golf course and executive short course, as well as the construction of associated utilities, facilities and infrastructure”.<\/p>\n
The course is set on the edge of the Karrawirra Pari (River Torrens), which is a culturally significant site for the Kaurna traditional owners of the Adelaide Plains.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Golfing great Greg Norman with SA Premier Peter Malinauskas at LIV Golf. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
According to the government, there is “potential for subsurface Aboriginal heritage to be discovered during ground-disturbing project works”.<\/p>\n
“If granted, the authorisations would allow the Applicant (subject to conditions) to damage, disturb and\/or interfere with Aboriginal heritage and to excavate land for the purposes of uncovering Aboriginal heritage,” a government document states.<\/p>\n
Under South Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage Act, it is an offence to damage, disturb or interfere with Aboriginal heritage without the authorisation of the state’s Aboriginal Affairs minister.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A protected Aboriginal heritage area will be established at the North Adelaide Golf Course, sparking questions about a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":219688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[133989,64,63,755,133988,109894,14239,126134,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-219687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-aboriginal-heritage-act","9":"tag-au","10":"tag-australia","11":"tag-golf","12":"tag-kaurna","13":"tag-kyam-maher","14":"tag-liv-golf","15":"tag-north-adelaide-golf-course","16":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=219687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/219687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/219688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=219687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=219687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=219687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}