Haese calls for compassion in parklands debate
Lord Mayor Martin Haese says the interests of residents and those who sleep in the parklands must be balanced as the State Government considers a dry zone plan for the South Parklands.
SA Health is investigating the operations of the Mobile Assistance Patrol (MAP), which allegedly transported drunk people to Veale Gardens in the South Parklands.
There have also been reports that the organisation – run by the Aboriginal Sobriety Group funded by SA Health – provided Aboriginal people who sleep in the parklands with sleeping bags and tents.
According to the MAP website, the service encourages an alcohol- and drug-free lifestyle provides transport for Aboriginal people “in the Adelaide city areas who are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs to places of care, safety and support”.
Haese told InDaily that he was unaware of MAP’s specific mandate with relation to providing homeless people with supplies, but that “you can’t just leave people who are in need”.
“It’s not a very caring or compassionate society which leaves people to their own defences when they need help the most,” Haese said.
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In a statement, an Adelaide City Council spokesperson said: “We have raised the reports about current activity in the South Parklands with SA Health, who provide the funding for the Mobile Assistance Patrol. They have assured us they are looking into it with the highest priority.”
Haese said he was expecting a decision from the State Government on a likely dryzone for the area early next week.
“When you’ve got concerns about safety and excessive noise in the middle of the night and occasional fighting and anti social behaviour, that’s when residents get upset,” he said.
“Noise is a big issue. I received an email at 2:08am yesterday morning from residents, who were saying there was fighting and drunkenness and noise … pretty well in the immediate vicinity of where they live.
“Understandably, people are pretty worried, and council is too.”
A spokesperson for SA Health said the organisation “was alerted Tuesday evening (9 December) to an allegation that the Mobile Assistance Patrol transported intoxicated people to the Veale Gardens in the South Parklands”.
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“We’ve requested the Aboriginal Sobriety Group investigate this matter as a priority and provide its findings to us as soon as possible.”
Haese said residents had legitimate concerns about anti-social behaviour in the parklands.
“The MAP van evidently delivered … a number of folks into the parklands two days ago I think (and) the (residential) community felt that it was kind of perpetuating the problem.
“If those (limited dryzone) hours were at night, that would obviously provide some alleviation for residential communities, without hopefully disaffecting too much those using the parklands.
“However, there is an important humanitarian aspect to this.
“I do ask that everybody looks at this with a sense of compassion.
“There are social issues here and it’s never going to be an absolute cut and shut approach.
“A lot of folks who frequent the parklands have a deep connection with the space which goes well-beyond our association with the land and I think we’ve got to be respectful of that.”
MAP also provides jobs training, Indigenous health education and funding, and workshops and events.
InDaily contacted Consumer Business Services for comment on the pending dryzone decision.
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