I am a filmmaker and small business owner in Stepney, where I live with my wife and four children, and from where I frequently visit (mostly on foot or bicycle) Kent Town & West Norwood. I own and operate the literary bar Ern Malley est. 1943, which is dedicated to supporting the local arts and fostering community through live music, regular literary readings, and many other events and festivities.

I also recently organized and hosted Unbreaking Adelaide, an annual symposium on heritage architecture and urban planning, where we took our concerns and questions about the future of Adelaide directly to the Chair of the South Australian Planning Commission, Craig Holden and Member for Dunstan, Cressida O'Hanlon.

I’ve lived in some of the world’s most exciting and beautiful cities, including New Orleans, New York, Venice, Berlin, and Mumbai and I’m passionate about helping our town become an even more festive, connected and romantic place to live, while protecting the peaceful and wholesome lifestyle we all cherish here. I believe that we must be prepared to think creatively and act courageously in order to protect and encourage a strong sense of community in our neighborhoods - a vital part of any good and hope-filled life.

I endorse the efforts to create a community hub in Kent Town, with more public space, a supermarket and facilities to help foster connection amoungst neighbours. I also believe that Kent Town and West Norwood are in a privileged position to further prioritise walking and cycling as common and safe means of transport, but that this can only happen when we recognise the limitations of automobile centred infrastructure (including parking minimums), particularly in inner-city neighbourhoods.

We must also prioritize alternative modes of transportation. We can now see that streets in Adelaide that prioritize walking, biking, and trams have seen economic growth and fostered community. If we stop drivers from using our streets as thoroughfares and reduce reliance on automobiles, we will make our streets safer and more enjoyable. This will have enormous benefits to the quality of life for everyone, but especially our elderly residents, children and those who commute on foot or bicycle.

I want to fight for beauty. I want to fight for developments that honor the character and heritage of the neighborhood. Many of the new buildings and redevelopments are made of poor materials. They do not fit with the height standards or aesthetic quality of the surrounding buildings. Developers are given permission to build outside code in order to maximize profits, and I want to fight for the future of Kent Town/West Norwood so that our new buildings and parks will be beautiful and stand the test of time. And this also applies to our public infrastructure. There is no reason why the ammenities that the council are installing and building should not also be beautiful. Too often I see public infrastructure that is almost immediately dated, or of such a low quality that it needs to be replaced quickly. Our signs, lights, bollards etc, should all reflect our unique heritage.

We also must fight to retain authority at the council level. The shift over the past 30-40 years has been to amalgamate councils, and shift more and more authority to the state government and unelected bureaucrats. With transparency and good leadership Councils are in a much better position to adapt nimbly to the concerns, ideas and dreams of their residents, and are less likely to be influenced by major power centres, be they corporate, bureaucratic or financial. 

Norwood and Kent Town are incredible places to live, work and play but life here could be even sweeter if we placed more emphasis on making them holistic neighborhoods that satisfy our practical, social, financial and artistic needs.

Am I the person to help make this happen? Maybe. Vote for me and we can find out together.

Also. if you are looking for other candidates to vote for, I highly recommend David Baker and Sandy Wilkinson.
​

(The video on the left ws made as part of a longer form documentary I was working on about the history of transportation and the rise of the autonomous vehicle)

​

---

Paul Gallasch // 10 Laura St, Stepney SA 5069