A protected Aboriginal heritage area will be created at the North Adelaide Golf Course, sparking questions about a planned development on the site for LIV Golf.
On Friday afternoon, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher revealed he had granted permissions for the North Adelaide Golf Course under strict conditions under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988 (SA).
A State Government spokesperson said “critically, there is a condition requiring the establishment of a protected area on” the site’s par three course.
“This means the only work that can take place in this area is for lawn resurfacing, maintenance and services,” the spokesperson said.
“The Minister imposed this ‘protected area’ in recognition of the clear views from the consultation that this site is both culturally and spiritually important.
“This is a territory that was already important before colonization and, following the establishment of the government mission in 1839, this importance took on another aspect.“
This means 31 conditions will be imposed on the project applicant “to ensure that indigenous heritage will be managed as respectfully as possible during project works”.
The spokesperson said other conditions included a requirement for the applicant to consult with the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation (KYAC) and the principal traditional owners of Kaurna “to incorporate Kaurna values, stories, art, language and history into the design and delivery of the project” and to “avoid and protect in situ any discovered Aboriginal remains, remnants and heritage”.
The spokesperson said the decision followed wider community consultation.
“The Minister thanks the Kaurna community and all Indigenous parties who have given their time and views on this important issue,” the spokesperson said.
Mr Maher said the outcome came after “extensive consultation with Kaurna elders, Kaurna traditional owners and community members”.
“This is in recognition of the very important values of the cultural heritage of this region – both from pre-European contact, but also, and importantly, from the earliest days of European contact,”
he said.
“This area is where the Kaurna Language School was located, with Lutheran missionaries from Germany opening a school and establishing a mission there at first contact.”
“The conditions do not concern the realization of a project”
Mr Maher said the “protected area” would not allow “further development on this part of the golf course” and covered the par three course – an area “from the River Torrens to the road”.
“For the rest of the golf course – the 18-hole north and south golf courses – redevelopment will be permitted but under very strict conditions,” he said.
“Thirty-one conditions that aim to protect indigenous heritage to ensure that if anything is discovered – sites or objects – they are properly respected.”
Kyam Maher granted permissions with strict conditions under the Aboriginal Heritage Act. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
Adelaide will host the LIV Golf Tournament in Australia until 2031, with the tournament taking place at Grange and Kooyonga Golf Clubs in 2026 and 2027 respectively.
In June, controversial laws allowing the South African government to continue plans to redevelop the North Adelaide Golf Course and move the LIV golf tournament to the city were passed by Parliament.
The government is pushing to have the site ready to welcome LIV Golf to the city in 2028.
Asked if the redevelopment of the North Adelaide Golf Course would be completed in time to accommodate LIV Golf, Mr Maher said: “The process under the Aboriginal Heritage Act is not about the delivery of a project.”
“What the Act is concerned about is how indigenous heritage is treated,” he said.
“These conditions are not intended to complete a project, they are intended to ensure that indigenous heritage is respected as part of any redevelopment.
“As the design progresses, as the design is undertaken, it will need to take into account these 31 conditions.”
Potential for “heritage to discover”
The State Government revealed plans earlier this year to invest in a roughly $50 million Greg Norman-designed upgrade to the North Adelaide Golf Course.
It is not yet clear how many new buildings will be constructed along the park route and how many trees will be cut down.
However, a government document states that the project would involve “ground disturbance works” to create a “world-class golf course which would include the expansion and remodeling of existing courses to create a new 18-hole championship course, the creation of additional amenities, such as a new driving range, mini golf and executive short course, and the construction of associated utilities, facilities and infrastructure.”
The course is located on the banks of the Karrawirra Pari (Torrens River), which is a culturally significant site for the Kaurna Traditional Owners of the Adelaide Plains.
Golfing great Greg Norman with SA Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas at LIV Golf. (Provided)
According to the government, there is “potential for discovery of underground Aboriginal heritage during ground disturbance works”.
“If granted, the permissions would allow the applicant (subject to conditions) to damage, disrupt and/or interfere with Aboriginal heritage and to excavate land for the purpose of discovering Aboriginal heritage,” a government document states.
Under South Australia’s Aboriginal Heritage Act, it is an offense to damage, disrupt or interfere with Aboriginal heritage without the permission of the state’s Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.
