MotoGP, Victoria Park
and South Ward.

I want Adelaide to win more major events. A city that actually does things is better than a city that talks itself out of every opportunity. But major events still need to be done properly — especially when they use the Park Lands and directly affect the people who live nearby.

The MotoGP proposal is exactly that kind of issue. There is an upside. It could bring visitors into the city, support hotels, pubs, restaurants and small businesses, and give Adelaide another major event on the international calendar.

But there are also serious unanswered questions about cost, trees, biodiversity, road closures, public access, noise, parking and how long residents will lose access to parts of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi and the surrounding Park Lands.

That is why I am consulting South Ward residents directly.

Read the source document

Kadaltilla / Adelaide Park Lands Authority — Council report

Wednesday 27 May 2026 · PDF · 6.4 MB · 66 pages

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The simple point

This is not just a debate about whether Adelaide should host MotoGP. The real issue is whether the event and the works around it are being planned openly, whether residents are being told enough, and whether the Park Lands are being protected properly.

At the moment, too much of the detail is still missing.

The public has heard the announcement. What we have not yet seen is the full detail of the track works, the final environmental impact, the full cost, the full road closure plan, the tree impacts, and the long-term consequences for Victoria Park and the surrounding Park Lands.

What has been announced

This is what we know so far:

1. The Australian MotoGP is expected to move to Adelaide from 2027.
2. The event is expected to use a remodelled Adelaide Street Circuit, including Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi.
3. The event has been promoted as a major international motorsport event and a world-first city-centre MotoGP street race.
4. The 2026 Adelaide Grand Final will still be held from Thursday 26 November to Sunday 29 November 2026.
5. A new associated motorsport event is also proposed for Friday 20 November to Sunday 22 November 2026, the weekend immediately before the Adelaide Grand Final.
6. The proposed works period for the 2026 motorsport events runs from 2 September 2026 to 7 February 2027. That is 159 days.
7. The 2026 declared Park Lands area is proposed to increase by about 142,920 square metres compared with 2025.
8. That includes about 129,968 sq m in Carriageway Park / Tuthangga (Park 17), and about 12,952 sq m in Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16), including the Butterfly Conservation Zone.

The declared area is not necessarily the same thing as the final fence line. But it is the area that can be occupied for the event and event works. That matters, because it gives the South Australian Motor Sport Board access to a much larger part of the Park Lands for a very long period of time.

This is already affecting the 2026 Park Lands declarations

One of the most important points in the Council report is that MotoGP is already affecting the 2026 motorsport arrangements.

The report says Park 17 is being added for event car parking because the existing area used along Fullarton Road will be unavailable due to MotoGP circuit redevelopment in Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi.

That is a big deal. The community is not just dealing with a future race weekend in 2027 — the consequences are already showing up in the 2026 Park Lands declarations, before residents have been shown the full detail of the MotoGP works.

Council administration also notes that the extent of the works in Park 16, or any other Park in the declared area, has not yet been provided to Council or Kadaltilla.

That should concern residents. It certainly concerns me.

Why South Ward residents are directly affected

South Ward residents are likely to feel the most direct impacts because they live closest to Victoria Park, East Terrace, Hutt Street, Halifax Street, Carrington Street, Wakefield Road, Fullarton Road, Greenhill Road and the surrounding Park Lands.

The issues residents may face include:

1. Road closures and traffic changes.
2. Parking restrictions and more pressure on surrounding residential streets.
3. Noise from racing, construction, set-up and pack-down.
4. Reduced access to parts of Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi.
5. Changes to walking, running and cycling routes.
6. Disruption to public transport and local access.
7. Impacts on local businesses and hospitality venues.
8. Tree removals and changes to the Park Lands.
9. Impacts on biodiversity, conservation areas and wildlife.
10. Months of works and occupation well beyond the actual event days.

For residents, this is not just a three-day event. It may mean months of changed access, fencing, temporary works, trucks, traffic management and disruption.

The Park Lands are not spare event space

Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi is not just a motorsport precinct. It is part of Adelaide’s National Heritage listed Park Lands. It is used by residents, families, walkers, runners, cyclists, sporting clubs, Parkrun, local businesses, playground users and many others.

The Council report says the impacted Park Lands include one of the most significant biodiversity areas within the Adelaide Park Lands. It refers to remnant woodland ecosystems, native grasslands, wetlands, butterfly habitat and conservation zones.

The southern section of Park 16 is recognised as Key Biodiversity Area 1. The report also identifies the Grey Box Grassy Woodland ecosystem as a threatened ecological community under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

That does not mean nothing can ever happen there. But it does mean decisions need to be made carefully and transparently, with proper environmental advice and proper public scrutiny.

The Butterfly Conservation Zone needs proper protection

The proposed 2026 declared area includes the Butterfly Conservation Zone within Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi.

The Chequered Copper Butterfly and its caterpillar food plants were found in Park 16 in 2011. The Council report says the species is considered rare and biologically significant by butterfly experts and ecologists.

Kadaltilla’s proposed feedback asks the South Australian Motor Sport Board to remove the Butterfly Conservation Zone from the declared area for any proposed motorsport activity in Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi.

That is a sensible request.

If the State Government and the Motor Sport Board say the area can be protected, they should release the expert advice, the maps, the environmental controls and the monitoring plan. General assurances are not enough.

There are environmental and heritage questions still unanswered

The Council report raises proper questions about environmental obligations.

It refers to the Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi Remnant Vegetation Management Plan and notes that vegetation at the site is considered to fall within the definition of an endangered ecological community under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Kadaltilla’s proposed response seeks confirmation that the responsible Minister has made a self-referral under the EPBC Act and has taken steps to prepare an environmental impact assessment and heritage impact assessment.

The report also says the information provided by the South Australian Motor Sport Board does not indicate whether that self-referral has been made.

That should be answered publicly. Residents should not be left guessing whether proper environmental and heritage processes have been followed.

Public access will change

The South Australian Motor Sport Board says it will use a staged build approach and leave parts of the Park Lands open for as long as possible. That is better than closing everything at once.

But access will still be affected.

The report says the two east-west paths through Park 16 between Fullarton Road and Halifax Street are expected to remain open for as long as possible, but there will be periodic closures. At least one path is expected to remain open except for the seven days before the declared period and seven days after the declared period. There may also be other short closures during high-risk construction work.

That is the sort of information residents need early, not after the fencing starts going up.

Community sport and recreation will also be affected

The report identifies a long list of affected users. This includes cycling groups, community sport, Parkrun, playground users, disc golf users, lessees, seasonal hire users and casual users of Victoria Park and the surrounding Park Lands.

The Criterium Track is described as a purpose-built off-road cycling facility and the only one of its kind servicing metropolitan Adelaide. The report says the events will affect the ability of cycling organisations to hold a full criterium season, with the track unavailable for more than three weeks.

Again, this is not a small impact. These are community assets, and the community should be consulted before they are disrupted.

There are permanent infrastructure questions

The South Australian Motor Sport Board has also requested the permanent removal of the central toilet block next to the Criterium Track in Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi as part of planned infrastructure works.

That request would need to come back to Council for a decision.

But it raises a bigger question. What is temporary, and what is permanent?

If public infrastructure is being permanently removed, changed or relocated because of motorsport events, residents should be told clearly and early.

The cost question has not been answered

The original designer of the Adelaide Street Circuit, Bob Barnard, has publicly estimated that remodelling the circuit for MotoGP could cost more than $100 million.

The Premier has said he has not been told of a $100 million figure, but has acknowledged there will be a cost to remodel the track.

At this stage, residents have not been given a clear public breakdown of:

1. The total cost of the MotoGP circuit redevelopment.
2. The taxpayer contribution.
3. Any Council contribution or in-kind support.
4. Ongoing maintenance costs.
5. Remediation costs.
6. Tree removal and replacement costs.
7. Traffic management costs.
8. Public communication and consultation costs.

Before irreversible works begin, the public should be given a clear cost estimate and a clear explanation of who is paying for what.

My position

I support major events when they are properly planned, transparent and respectful of residents.

What I do not support is treating the Park Lands as empty land, giving government agencies a blank cheque, or asking residents to accept months of disruption without proper information.

Before works proceed, I believe residents should be given:

1. A final or near-final MotoGP track design.
2. A full map of the affected Park Lands.
3. A clear list of trees proposed for removal.
4. An independent environmental impact assessment.
5. A heritage impact assessment.
6. A public explanation of the safety requirements for MotoGP.
7. A traffic, parking and local access plan.
8. A construction, set-up and pack-down timetable.
9. A noise management plan.
10. A full cost estimate.
11. Proper consultation with affected residents, businesses and Park Lands users.

Have your say

I am consulting South Ward residents because the people most affected should have a direct say.

Please share your views on MotoGP, the Park Lands impacts, road closures, noise, trees, biodiversity, traffic, parking and the level of consultation so far.

I will use the feedback to push for proper answers from Council, the State Government and the South Australian Motor Sport Board.

Adelaide can have major events. But they have to be done properly.