Protesters opposed to government projects encroaching on Adelaide's green space have taken their concerns directly to the South Australian Premier, heckling him as he arrived at a public function.
The incident occurred ahead of a much larger demonstration involving dozens of people who gathered to voice their concerns about a plan to relocate SA Police horses onto the city's parklands.
Last month, the state government revealed SA Police had nominated Mirnu Wirra/Park 21 West as its preferred future site for its Mounted Operations Unit, also known as the "police greys".
The move was necessitated by the planned demolition of the Thebarton Police Barracks to make way for the new Women's and Children's Hospital.
As he arrived in North Adelaide this morning for a meeting with local residents, Premier Peter Malinauskas was confronted by three protesters who challenged him about the parklands' future.
One of the men described the proposed relocation as "immoral and unethical", telling the Premier: "Dunstan would be ashamed of you."
"You're just stealing parkland when you don't need to. Use the brewery site, use the Keswick site," he said.
"You've still got ramping; deal with your promises, mate."
When Mr Malinauskas asked if the man was "interested in listening to anything" he had to say, he responded: "I can watch you on TV any time I want."
The man then asked for a response, and Mr Malinauskas told him the Keswick barracks were unsuitable because they were a potential site for future affordable housing.
He also told the media at the scene he was "committed to returning parklands" to the public.
Among those gathered in the parklands on Saturday to oppose the relocation of police stables onto Mirnu Wirra was Kaurna elder Uncle Jeffrey Newchurch.
He said he "didn't want to be critical" of government following last Sunday's "magic day" when the state-based Indigenous Voice to Parliament formally became law but said the state needed "to keep those valued, treasured parklands".
"I've always thought that parklands are unique. It's where we as a community, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, can enjoy those spaces," he said.
"To take that away from us — [I'm] stunned and dismayed."
Trees for Life SA CEO Natasha Davis said the parklands were among "the most important pieces of nature we have left on the Adelaide Plains".
"This place has over 70 species of native plants, many rare native flowers and grasslands that don't exist anywhere else in the parklands," she said.
"It is the wrong place to be putting a semi-industrial development."
Mr Malinauskas said the government remained in discussions with South Australia Police about the future stables "to make sure we can minimise the amount of land that they take up".
"We continue to discuss with them the way we can accommodate some of the concerns of residents," he said.
"The police greys are currently on the parklands at the moment, and we're going to move them ... to the parklands.
"The reason why we're doing that, of course, is to build a bigger, better Women's and Children's Hospital."
