SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER,
THE HON. E. G. WHITLAM, M. P,,
AT THE OPENING OF THE FIRST SUBDIVISION
OF THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LAND COMMISSION,
HAPPY VALLEY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA,
11 APRIL 1975
I HOPE THIS WILL BE THE FIRST OF MANY SUCH OPENINGS
I SHALL ATTEND THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA. IT IS APPROPRIATE
THAT THE FIRST SUBDIVISION OF LAND PURCHASED AND PREPARED
FOR RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT BY A STATE LAND COMMISSION SHOULD
BE HERE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. ADELAIDE WAS AUSTRALIA'S
FIRST PLANNED CITY. COLONEL LIGHT, THAT FAR-SIGHTED
SURVEYOR-GENERALWAS AUSTRALIA'S FIRST TOWN PLANNER
SOUTH AUSTRALIA HAS BEEN ONE STATE WHERE COOPERATION BETWEEN
GOVERNMENTS IN THE INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE HAS ALWAYS -BEEN
PROMPT AND FRUITFUL. IT IS NOW ACCEPTED THAT GOVERNMENTS
EVERYWHERE SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN URBAN PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT NOT BECAUSE IT MAY BE SOMEONE'S PARTICULAR
HOBBY HORSE, NOT BECAUSE IT'S FASHIONABLE OR TRENDY, BUT
BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO IMPROVE OUR CITIES
AND MAKE THEM BETTER PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO LIVE.. IN...
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THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SUBDIVISION HAS BEEN A GOOD
EXAMPLE OF COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. PLANNERS, BUILDERS,
LOCAL RESIDENTS, LOCAL BODIES, HAVE HAD A PART TO PLAY.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CONSULTED; PEOPLE HAVE SAID WHAT THEY
WANT FOR THEIR NEW COMMUNITY.
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WE ARE GETTING AWAY FROM THE OLD IDEA OF CITIES BEING
BUILT AND PEOPLE BEING MOULDED TO FIT THEM ACCORDING
TO CONCEPTS IMPOSED FROM ABOVE OR FROM FAR AWAY, PEOPLE,
LOCAL PEOPLE, LOCAL NEEDS, ARE CENTRAL TO OUR THINKING,
I FIRST PROPOSED THE IDEA OF LAND COMMISSIONS
IN OUR ELECTION POLICY IN 1972, WE SEE THEM AS THE
ONLY PRACTICAL WAY TO BEAT THE SPIRALLING COST OF
BUILDING LAND. THE PRICE OF LAND IS THE SINGLE LARGEST
COMPONENT IN THE COST OF A HOME, THE LAND COMMISSION
PROGRAM OPERATES ON A VERY SIMPLE AND FUNDAMENTAL
PLANNING PRINCIPLE ADEQUATE LAND SUPPLY IS
NECESSARY TO PREVENT LAND PRICE INCREASES AT TIMES
OF HIGH DEMAND. THIS IS BECAUSE THE NATURE OF URBAN LAND
AS A COMMODITY MAKES IT PARTICULARLY LIABLE TO MARKET
MANIPULATION, PREVIOUS GOVERNMENTS IGNORED THIS
PROBLEM, SOUTH AUSTRALIA HAS COOPERATED IN OUR SCHFME
FROM THE START, OTHER STATES WHERE LAND PRICES ARE
HIGHER THAN HERE ARE STILL DRAGGING THE CHAIN, YET
IN THIS SUBDIVISION WE CAN ALREADY SEE THE BENEFITS OF
OUR SCHEME, I BELIEVE THE BLOCKS OF LAND FOR SALE HERE
ARE ABOUT-$ 1,000 CHEAPER THAN COMPARABLE BLOCKS. 7IN
OTHER PARTS OF ADELAIDE,
PLANNED COMMUNITIES SUCH AS THIS WILL HAVE OTHER
PDVANTAGES APART FROM PRICE, . THERE WILL BE NO UNSIGHTLY
ELECTRICITY POLES, HERE, AS IN ALL OTHER LAND COMMISSION
SUBDIVISIONS IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA, THE VISUAL POLLUTION OF
UNSIGHTLY POLES WILL BE ELIMINATED AS THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
WILL BE UNDERGROUND,
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PROVISIONS WILL BE MADE FOR PARKS, RECREATION AREAS
AND PLAYGROUNDS SUCH AS THE ONE THIS PLAQUE WILL
COMMEMORATE. IDON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD ARGUE THAT RAPID
URBANISATION HAS BROUGHT MANY SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
ILLS TO OUR CITIES. TRANSPORT, SEWERAGE, LOCAL
GOVERNMENT SERVICES HAVE BEEN MADE MORE COSTLY AND
DIFFICULT. 4I1fDUSTRIES HAVE MET WITH HIGHER COSTS,
THE ' ENVIRONMENT HAS SUFFERED. FOR ALL THESE REASONS
DON DUNSTAN' S GOVERNMENT AND my GOVERNMENT HAVE INITIATED
A SERIES OF POLICIES RELATING TO LAND USE AND LAND
PRICES. THE OBJECT IVE HAS BEEN TO REDUCE-THE
UNFORTUNATE CONSEQUENCES OF TOO RAPID URBANISATION.
THIS YEAR THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS
ALLOCATED APPROXIMATELY $ 26 MILLION TO THE SOUTH
AUSTRALIAN LAND COMMISSION BETWEEN ITS ESTABLISHMENT
IN NOVEMBER 1973 AND JUNE 19714, IT HAS PURCHASED
1226 HECTARES OF LAND WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE
ADEALIDE METROPOLITAN AREA. THIS YEAR IT IS
IMPLEMENTING A FURTHER PROGRAM TO ACQUIRE OR
PURCHASE 21432 HECTARES FOR URBAN DEVELO'PMENT AND 11173
HECTARES FOR MAJOR METROPOLITAN OPEN SPACES, IN
ADDITION THE COMMISSION HAS ENGAGED THE. SERVICES OF
PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS IN THE FIELDS OF PLANNING,
ENGINEERING, SURVEYING AND VALUING. IN THIS WAY IT HAS
HELPED SUSTAIN DEMAND FOR THESE SERVICES THROUGH THE RECENT
PERIOD OF DECLINE IN BUILDING ACTIVITY.
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AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT IS A FINANCIER TO
THE LAND COMMISSION BUT IT HAS A MUCH WIDER ROLE THAN
THAT, MANY AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES AND
PROGRAMS HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON THE PROVISION OF
CAPITAL WORKS IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT THE P. M. G.,
DEFENCE INSTALLATIONS, EMPLOYMENT, OFFICES, ROADS,
UNIVERSITIES, HOSPITALS, SEWERAGE PROGRAMS, PART
OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY IS THE
EFFICIENT COORDINATION OF ALL SERVICES PROVIDED BY
STATE AND AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENTS. THE LAND COMMISSION
IS A STATE ORGANISATION, STATE-RUN AND STATE-MANAGED:
BUT EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT THERE IS A PLACE FOR
JOINT EFFORT BY THE AUSTRALIAN AND SOUTH AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENTS IN SHAPING THE BROAD STRATEGIC POLICIES
WITHIN WHICH THE COMMISSION FUNCTIONS,
THE LAND SUPPLY SHORTAGE IS LIKELY TO
BECOME CRITICAL, PARTICULARLY IN SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE.
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS THE WILL TO ACT BUT THE
STATES MUST ALSO PARTICIPATE. NEW SOUTH WALES HAS
SIGNED A FINANCIAL AGREEMENT, AND THE AUSTRALIAN
GOVERNMENT IS LOOKING TO THAT STATE TO ACT-FIRMLY ON
A LARGE SCALE TO PREVENT FURTHER LAND PRICE INCREASES
IN SYDNEY. IN VICTORIA THE GOVERNMENT HAS AGREED TO
SET UP AN URBAN LAND COUNCIL'BY 30 JUNE THIS YEAR AND
ACTION ON THAT PROMISE IS URGENTLY NEEDED, ,/ 4
DON'T IMAGIN4E THAT LAND COMMISSIONS ARE AL. L THAT
CONCERN US IN THIS FIELD. IN MAKING AUSTRALIA A BETTER
PLACE TO LIVE IN WE AIRE JUST AS CONCERNED WITH RURAL
AREAS AS WITH CITIES. OUR NEW DEPARTMENT OF URBAN AND
REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT DEALS AS MUCH WITH THE WELFARE'OF
REfGlNS. AS IT DOES WITH CITIES, WE HAVE REACHED
AGREEMENT WITH THE STATES ON THE BOUNDARIES OF 76
REGIONS WHICH TH. E GOVERNMENT WILL USE AS THE BASIS
OF ITS PROGRAMS. LAST YEAR WIE APPROVED THE FIRST
DIRECT GRANTS EVER MADE BY AN AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT TO
LOCAL COUNCILS GRANTS TOTALLING $ 56 MILLION THROUGHOUT
AUSTRALIA, WE ARE PUSHING AHEAD WITH GROWTH CENTRES,
INCLUDING MONARTO IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. WE HAVE
SAFEGUARDED THE NATIONAL ESTATE, THE UNIQUE AND
BEAUTIFUL THINGS, NATURAL AND MAN-MADE WORTH KEEPING
IN OUR COUNTRY. LAST FINANCIAL YEAR 101. NATIONAL ESTATE
PROJECTS WERE APPROVED AT A TOTAL COST OF $ 2.5 MILLION
WE ARE PROVIDING ASSISTANCE FOR.-ADELAIDE'S WATER
TREATMENT SCHEME. WE ARE CATCHING UP FURTHER WITH THE
SFWERAGE BACKL. OG IN THE MAJOR CITIES. IN THE LAST
FINANCIAL YEAR $ 38 MILLION WORTH OF APPROVED WORKS WERE
CARRIED OUT. A TOTAL OF $ 110 MILLION IS BE1ING MADE
AVAILABLE FOR WORKS STARTED THIS FINANCIAL YEAR. OUR
URBAN LOCAL ROADS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE
QUALITY OF RESIDENTIAL STREETS AND WILL INCLUDE A NUMBER
OF INNOVATIONS TO LIFT THE ENVIRONMENT STANDARDS OF ROADS
IN URBAN AND PROVINCIAL CENTRES.
I CONGRATULATE THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LAND COMMISSION
AND THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ON COMPLETING THIS
FIRST SUBDIVISION, WITH GOVERNMENTS WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP
WE CAN ACHIEVE FAIRER LAND PRICES FOR THE HOMEBUILDER AND A
MORE CONGENIAL AND EFFICIENT ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL
AUSTRALIANS.