Planning, Development and Infrastructure (Designated Live Music Venues and Protection of Crown and Anchor Hotel) Amendment Bill
Wednesday 28 August 2024
Ms CLANCY (Elder) (16:53): I rise to very enthusiastically support this bill. The East End of Adelaide is a super fun place to be. There is food, music, pubs, little lanes and shops. You can spend the day or night there for fun and lots of people are choosing to live there too, so it is easy to see why a developer would want to build student accommodation to take advantage of all the best of what Adelaide has to offer for international students. Those young people want to have an amazing educational experience in our great city, and developers want to build somewhere that is attractive to international students, while maximising their investment.
What makes the East End and all heritage precincts the world over attractive to developers is the borrowed value that is intrinsic to places where heritage has been retained, where light has allowed street trees to flourish, providing places for people to gather outside and enjoy each other's company with great food, drink and entertainment. In the East End, you can do shopping, catch a movie, eat dinner, see live music and have a drink, all without having to get in a car in between. These are the same factors that make the French Quarter, East Village and West End attractive places to be in New Orleans, New York and London.
It has been said before, and I am sure it will be said again, that the Crown and Anchor is the beating heart of the East End, and I am so happy that this bill preserves the hotel so that generations to come will be able to use it as a place to come together. Adelaide, like other music cities, has a rich history that reflects Adelaideans' deep commitment to our vibrant and world-class music scene. We are, and always have been, a centre for musical performance and education.
This is reflected across our arts and cultural festivals, including the Fringe and WOMADelaide; our musical institutions, such as the Elder Conservatorium of Music; and our diverse live music scene. I am proud this bill will protect live music venues in the CBD, like the iconic Exeter, Metro, Jade and Grace Emily, by requiring new neighbouring residential developments within 60 metres to install sound attenuation measures to ensure internal decibel levels are acceptable.
Adelaide's UNESCO City of Music status was granted as a result of our city's commitment to supporting and promoting all musical genres at all levels. The Cranker plays an important part in fostering up-and-coming local musicians and artists and has continually shaped our city's cultural identity through the nurturing and promotion of local acts. As one of the city's oldest pubs and longstanding live music venues, the Crown and Anchor serves as a crucial element in what makes our city relevant on the national and international scene, attracting musicians and patrons from all over Australia and the world.
I have had a number of great nights at the Cranker, playing pool very badly and seeing bands like Diplomat, Reverses, Night Rites, The Burning Sea, Grenadiers, Rat Catcher and Screamfeeder. Yes, I shamelessly included my partner's bands in that list—love you!
The Cranker is not only an important example of our built heritage: it has an impressively long history as a gathering place for the local community, allowing for social interaction and cultural exchange literally across the centuries. On 19 January 1892, Mr John McPherson, who was running to represent East Adelaide, spoke to punters at the hotel. McPherson was the founding secretary of the South Australian Labor Party, and this was the first time the party had contested an election and won a seat in the house.
There is no doubt the Cranker is deeply connected to the history of our city since it was first licensed in 1853. Generations of South Australians are connected to this building and are invested in preserving it for the future. The loss of this beloved cultural institution would have contributed to the homogenisation of both the built form of our city and our evolving cultural and musical heritage. I cannot begin to describe how pleased I am about the historic agreement reached between our state government, the private sector and the Save the Cranker campaigners that will ensure the Cranker is preserved.
Huge congratulations to Evan, Patrick and the Cranker committee on their campaign and to all those across Adelaide who came out in force to show their support for one of our most iconic venues, including many people in my electorate who made contact with me and my office. Thank you to the Premier and the minister for their dedication to getting a good result. When I am driving my daughter home from gigs at the Cranker 11 years from now—after enjoying the gigs from the very back of the room to avoid embarrassing her—I will think of you and be grateful. I commend the bill to the house.
