Gillman, South Australia


Gillman is a north-western suburb of Adelaide, in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. It is located within the federal division of Port Adelaide and the state electoral district of Port Adelaide.

Multi-Function Polis

Gillman was intended to be the site of the Multi-Function Polis, a joint project by the Australian and Japanese Governments in the late 1980s and 1990s. Started in 1987 by the Hawke Government, the MFP was intended to be a high-tech industry and technology hub with local laws similar to those found in Special Economic Zones around the world today. Protests from the local community and controversy over the proposed partnership with Japan led to the collapse of the project, which later was re-purposed into Technology Park and Mawson Lakes nearby.

Motorsport

Gillman has been the home of Motorcycle Speedway in Adelaide since 1981 when the North Arm Speedway opened. The speedway, located on the Grand Trunkway, operated from 1981 until its forced closure in 1997. Since 1998 it has been the home of a larger motorcycle speedway venue, the long Gillman Speedway located on Wilkins Road.

Explosives

The North Arm Powder Magazine in Gillman was from 1858 to 1906 a secure storage facility for dynamite and gelignite.

Gillman Controversy

In June 2013, the Weatherill State Government received a proposal from Adelaide Capital Partners to purchase of Gillman land for $135 million over three instalments, which was approved in December 2013 and supposed to create 6000 jobs. However, the process was later criticised by the state Opposition and subsequently the Supreme Court of South Australia who ruled the deal 'unlawful, irrational and in disregard of commercial principles', but said the contract was valid despite criticising the government's failure to put the land to public tender. A potential High Court action was resolved in an out-of-court deal, with South Australian Attorney General John Rau confirming the parties settled, with the government paying legal costs incurred by all parties, estimated to be no more than $2.2 million. In November 2016, ACP failed to make payment, and the government was forced to pay the Adelaide City Council $20 million for land it purchased as part of the original deal. The government has since sold part of the property to Veolia for use as a waste-to-energy plant, although the vast majority remains in government hands.