{"id":79183,"date":"2026-08-24T10:07:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T10:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/79183\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T10:07:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T10:07:36","slug":"liberals-stance-on-adelaide-motogp-in-parklands-draws-labor-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/79183\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberals\u2019 stance on Adelaide MotoGP in parklands draws Labor attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Australian Liberals are fending off allegations of hypocrisy over the contentious MotoGP event <\/a>after a senior frontbencher joined forces with the Greens and a parklands preservation group to protest the felling of trees for the racing track over the weekend. <\/p>\n

In a letter distributed to residents, Jack Batty said he shared their concerns about Labor\u2019s plans to host the event at Victoria Park<\/a> and opposed the \u201cremoval of potentially hundreds more trees\u201d from the parklands, in a stand the state government claimed to be at odds with Liberal leader Ashton Hurn\u2019s support for the race. <\/p>\n

Mr Batty invited residents to join himself and the Adelaide Park Lands Association on Sunday to march against the axing of more trees at Victoria Park <\/a>for the event \u2013 a rally also attended by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson Young.<\/p>\n

State Development Minister Chris Picton said the Opposition could not \u201cclaim to support major events while trying to stop them\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cAshton Hurn went to the election saying she supported MotoGP, but her own shadow minister is actively recruiting people to protest against one of the most significant international events South Australia has ever secured,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

On Monday, Ms Hurn hit back at allegations she and her party opposed the MotoGP, accusing Labor of working them into a \u201cpretty ridiculous situation\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Labor Party seems to seems to have worked us into a situation where apparently if you\u2019re against the cutting down of hundreds of trees in the parklands \u2026 that also makes you anti-event,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can have major events and indeed motorsports in the heart of our city without needing to decimate hundreds of trees in the park lands. <\/p>\n

\u201cI just encourage the government to get creative with the plans. I want to see this event go ahead but it\u2019s also up to the Opposition to be raising very legitimate concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms Hurn said she did want to see the felling of any trees but was \u201cnot going to shadow-box the government\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe government actually need to release the plans. I think that they should have it in their ambition to see as fewer trees removed as possible,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Mr Batty echoed the sentiment, stating he supported the party position on the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe support major events in the city, including the MotoGP,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut we also support protecting the Adelaide parklands.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was earlier revealed around 200 trees may need to be axed<\/a> to make way for the track, significantly more than the Premier\u2019s earlier estimate of 45.<\/p>\n

The government accused the Liberals of continuing their track record of opposing projects that have transformed the state, including the Adelaide Oval redevelopment.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Premier Peter Malinauskas accused the Liberals of \u201cyet again saddling up next to the Greens<\/a> to say they don\u2019t want motorsport in the parklands\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Liberal Party kicked motorsport out of the parklands in the former government only five or six years ago. They lost an election, said that was a mistake and now they\u2019re repeating the same mistake again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Malinauskas said he was \u201ca bit surprised\u201d to see Liberal frontbencher Jack Batty sitting alongside Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young at Sunday\u2019s Stop the Chop rally.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne minute they\u2019re saying they\u2019re in favour of MotoGP in the city, in the next minute they are saying they are opposed to it \u2013 there seems to be this real chopping and changing of position that you wouldn\u2019t necessarily expect to see from a party of government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mr Batty said many of his constituents have reached out with concerns about the impact of the proposed MotoGP circuit on the park lands and it was \u201centirely appropriate to let them know about an opportunity to peacefully express those views\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"South Australian Liberals are fending off allegations of hypocrisy over the contentious MotoGP event after a senior frontbencher…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[121111,57335,121109,37048,121122,121126,121132,36519,121151,38804,44784,121144,39220,105116,121119,42345,59518,395,8006,47046,46057,121145,24457,121149,38042,1921,37343,121136,58237,2547,4417,121124,60337,121117,42279,92617,46269,92360,121125,25015,156,121148,121139,121130,121129,4806,66017,63825,37045,121115,18734,121143,2326,45741,121112,3309,121137,121138,38802,7350,6352,121120,8419,39375,12421,121,121121,51929,121150,19816,121142,121134,114412,40726,67885,121113,36676,121114,121127,42278,39261,121135,91936,23380,30612,45013,40695,40910,37012,9754,42123,121128,114367,121146,121116,38540,114396,86664,121147,42961,3336,121118,60860,121140,42951,75897,95662,37964,40686,121131,37156,40084,121133,52529,121123,39265,121141,97124,12369,1364,121110,7152],"class_list":["post-79183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-adelaide","tag-s-earlier-estimate","tag-s-plans","tag-s-stop","tag-s-support","tag-200-trees","tag-45-the-government","tag-a-pretty-ridiculous-situation","tag-a-bit","tag-a-frontbencher","tag-a-letter","tag-a-mistake","tag-a-parklands-preservation-group","tag-a-party","tag-a-rally","tag-a-senior-frontbencher","tag-a-situation","tag-a-stand","tag-adelaide","tag-allegations","tag-an-election","tag-an-opportunity","tag-any-trees","tag-ashton-hurn","tag-batty","tag-concerns","tag-event","tag-favour","tag-fewer-trees","tag-forces","tag-government","tag-greens","tag-greens-senator-sarah-hanson-young-state-development-minister-chris-picton","tag-greens-senator-sarah-hanson-young","tag-her-own-shadow-minister","tag-her-party","tag-his-constituents","tag-hundreds","tag-hypocrisy","tag-hypocrisy-allegations","tag-jack-batty","tag-labor","tag-labor-attacks","tag-lib-mp","tag-liberal-frontbencher-jack-batty","tag-liberal-leader-ashton-hurn","tag-liberals","tag-major-events","tag-mali","tag-monday","tag-more-trees","tag-motogp","tag-motogp-protest","tag-motorsport","tag-mr-batty","tag-ms-hurn","tag-odds","tag-one-minute","tag-only-five-or-six-years","tag-our-city","tag-people","tag-position","tag-potentially-hundreds-more-trees","tag-premier-peter-malinauskas","tag-projects","tag-residents","tag-south-australia","tag-south-australian-liberals","tag-stance","tag-subscription-box-version-2mr-malinauskas","tag-sunday","tag-the-adelaide-oval-redevelopment-on","tag-the-adelaide-park-lands-association","tag-the-adelaide-parklands","tag-the-attack","tag-the-axing","tag-the-chop-rally","tag-the-city","tag-the-contentious-motogp-event","tag-the-cutting","tag-the-election","tag-the-event","tag-the-felling","tag-the-former-government","tag-the-government","tag-the-greens","tag-the-heart","tag-the-impact","tag-the-issue","tag-the-labor-party","tag-the-liberal-party","tag-the-liberals","tag-the-most-significant-international-events","tag-the-motogp","tag-the-motogp-event","tag-the-next-minute","tag-the-opposition","tag-the-park-lands","tag-the-parklands","tag-the-party-position","tag-the-plans","tag-the-premier","tag-the-proposed-motogp-circuit","tag-the-race","tag-the-racing-track","tag-the-removal","tag-the-same-mistake","tag-the-sentiment","tag-the-state","tag-the-state-government","tag-the-state-liberals","tag-the-track","tag-the-weekend","tag-their-ambition","tag-their-concerns","tag-their-track-record","tag-this-event","tag-this-real-chopping-and-changing","tag-those-views","tag-tree-felling","tag-trees","tag-very-legitimate-concerns","tag-victoria-park"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}