South Australian Tourism Commission, $66,288,000

Minister:

Hon. S.S. Marshall, Premier.

Departmental Advisers:

Mr R. Harrex, Chief Executive, South Australian Tourism Commission.

Ms S. Rozokos, Chief Financial Officer, South Australian Tourism Commission.

Mr A. Kirchner, Chief Executive, Adelaide Venue Management.

Ms M. Hannaford, Chief Financial Officer, Adelaide Venue Management.

Ms H. Rasheed, Executive Director, Events South Australia.

The CHAIR: The portfolio to be examined is the South Australian Tourism Commission, Adelaide Venue Management Authority. The minister appearing is the Premier. I declare the proposed payments open for examination and advise members that the proposed payments for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and other items remain open for examination. I call on the Premier to make a statement if he wishes and introduce his advisers

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you very much, Mr Chairman. Joining me with the examination of the South Australian Tourism Commission is the Chief Executive, Mr Rodney Harrex, and also Ms Hitaf Rasheed, Executive Director, Events South Australia. We also have with us today Stephanie Rozokos, who is the Chief Financial Officer of the South Australian Tourism Commission.

The CHAIR: Do you wish to make a statement, Premier?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No, thank you.

The CHAIR: Leader of the Opposition, do you wish to make a statement?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: No, thank you.

The CHAIR: If not, I invite questions.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I refer the Premier to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 101, explanation of significant movements. It states:

The difference in income and expenditure in the 2021-22 Budget compared to the 2020-21 Budget and 2019-20 Actual is primarily due to…the cessation of the Superloop Adelaide 500 and the varied Santos Festival of Cycling...

My question is: has the agreement been reached with Supercars to exit the contract early?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: For the Adelaide 500?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Yes.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Has any compensation been paid to Supercars for cancelling the contract early?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I think there has been a small payment, yes.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: How much?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That is commercial-in-confidence, but I can assure the taxpayers of South Australia it was a fair and reasonable sum that was paid, but it was not significant.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: If it was fair and reasonable, why not outline a ballpark figure?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am advised that that amount was commercial-in-confidence and I am sure the Leader of the Opposition would, from his time in government, recognise that in some negotiations the settlement is commercial-in-confidence. This was one such negotiation which occurred. That is an amount which ultimately will be paid for out of the SATC budget.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: The South Australian Tourism Commission is taking South Australian taxpayers' dollars and handing it over to Supercars for an event that we are not going to have?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We also have other Supercars events in South Australia and the leader would be more than aware that last year in fact I think we had two additional Supercars events which were part of that negotiation and a further continuation of the Supercars in South Australia going forward. When he says for events that do not occur, I have just pointed to three Supercars events which were part of that overall negotiation where we did not have the Adelaide 500 continuing.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Regarding your negotiations with Supercars around the cancellation of the Adelaide 500 contract for which we have expended dollars, you are telling me that those negotiations encompassed negotiations regarding The Bend and their Supercars events. They are part of the same contract negotiations, are they?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: What I am saying is that we have a relationship with—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: No, I did not think so.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: What I am saying is that we have a relationship with Supercars. Last year, there were not events, to my understanding, that were scheduled for The Bend. As part of the cancellation with the Adelaide 500, I think we were able to negotiate two additional races at The Bend and I think motorsport fans were very pleased to see those events going there. My understanding is that we have now concluded a further negotiation for ongoing events at The Bend. It is a great facility at The Bend. It is a facility that is amongst the very best in the world, not just for vehicles but also for motorbikes.

I think there has also been some good news that has been able to be negotiated there. Part of the problem with international events at the moment is getting drivers or riders in and out of the country, so some of the things which we are hopeful for for the future have had to be put on ice because we are in an extraordinary situation at the moment. I think most appreciate how difficult that is.

But we still have a good working relationship with the Supercars. We have enjoyed having the Supercars here in South Australia but, as the Leader of the Opposition would be more than aware, we formed the opinion that the continuation of the street race, the Adelaide 500, was not in the best interests of the taxpayers of South Australia. That was a recommendation which came to the government from the SATC board.

It was a unanimous decision. It was not one of these 5-4 type decisions. It was a unanimous decision that there was just not a desire to continue with that expenditure and that there were better things we could do with that money, and that money could be better applied to creating more jobs in South Australia, so the government took the position to support the unanimous recommendation of the SATC board.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I am aware, Premier, that you just take directions from everybody else and let them make the decisions. You used to answer questions once. My follow-up question to the Premier is: given that we have paid Supercars taxpayers' dollars for cancelling the contract early, have there been any other claims for compensation due to the Adelaide 500 being cancelled—any other contractors, sponsors, anything else?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes, there are a small number of other contractors who were significantly disadvantaged. Some of those, of course, are enjoying some good work at the moment with other events that have already occurred or plan to be occurring into the future, so we are continuing to work with them. I think the vast majority of them have already been concluded last financial year, but there could be some remaining ones and that is something that the SATC is working through.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: So given we now have multiple compensation payouts, notwithstanding the Premier's unwillingness to disclose the amount to Supercars, can the Premier give a global figure for the total amount of taxpayers' dollars that have been expended in cancelling the Adelaide 500?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No. I think I have made it clear that the matters you are referring to are commercial-in-confidence—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: But if you give a total figure—

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —and it does not matter how many different ways you ask the same question, it is not going to be something that we would disclose. But what you can see in the budget papers, of course, is the overall budget for the SATC and, last financial year where the bulk of those payments that you just referred to were incorporated, they have been incorporated into those budget variances which you can see in front of you.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: We will get to the cuts that you have made to the SATC in due course rest assured but I guess my point is that you are saying to the people of South Australia that it was good value to them to cancel the Adelaide 500. I am grateful the member for King is present because I know she is a big supporter of cancelling the Adelaide 500 and she is on the record as such and we welcome her honesty about being so keen to cut the Adelaide 500, or you do not support cutting the Adelaide 500. The member for King may be changing her position.

The CHAIR: We will get to the question.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: But the question is: given the Premier is telling the people of South Australia, and the member for King ably supporting that effort, that it is good value to cut the Adelaide 500 for taxpayers, surely the Premier must be able to disclose how much of the SATC budget has been spent on cancelling that event in total?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: What I find extraordinary is the year 9 debating tactics employed by the Leader of the Opposition verballing other people who are in here and putting—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Not at all.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —assertions forward which just do not make any sense. The reality is we cancelled the ongoing Adelaide 500 with regret. It was a great event for South Australia—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Why cancel it?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —and we acknowledge that. But it did not offer a good return on investment compared with alternatives that we can have in South Australia going forward. This was not the decision of the government. It was the recommendation of a group of people who are very representative of the industry here in South Australia.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: So, Premier, if that was their recommendation, whose decision is it? Whose decision was it?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am just continuing my answer.

The CHAIR: Order, leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The Leader of the Opposition, four minutes in, is getting very hot under the collar. He has seen what is happening with Jack Snelling and he has seen what has happened with Tom Kenyon and he is getting very snaky today. I will not be taken off course, though; I am going to stay focused on what is in front of me.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: That is embarrassing. That is actually embarrassing.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I was saying, of course it was with great regret that we cancelled the Adelaide 500, which had been an excellent event for South Australia over a long period of time, but what we saw with this event was a number of things converging which provided the SATC board with the information that they required to provide a recommendation via their CE to us.

Now, ultimately it was their decision; they control that budget, and out of respect for the government, who ultimately provides the funding for the SATC, we were consulted, and we backed that decision. We backed that decision because our ultimate goal is to see more people employed in the tourism sector in South Australia.

We have released our tourism sector plan right through to 2030. We want to significantly grow the size of this sector and we are on track to do that, notwithstanding the very significant situation that we have had with the coronavirus. We will get back onto that trajectory, and we will achieve our goals in terms of 2030. We will make sure that we do that. It is a very important sector for our economy, and it is one of the reasons why I took on this portfolio myself.

The Adelaide 500 event was consuming more and more of the SATC budget and it was giving a lower and lower level return for the people of our state. We need to see a return in terms of jobs, in terms of interstate and overseas visitation to South Australia, in terms of bed nights, in terms of the number of people who are employed in our cafes and our restaurants, and the add-on trips into regional South Australia. That is what we need to see, and that is what we charge the SATC board with the responsibility to deliver.

The Adelaide 500 was seeing decreasing numbers. In some years there was extraordinary expenditure with regard to the music event that accompanied it, which did provide some increased numbers of people attending, but what we had seen over time was a diminution of the people attending.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, standing order 98: this is debate, sir. The question was very specific.

The CHAIR: I think the Premier was actually couching his answer in relation to the Adelaide 500 and the situation around that, so I am happy for him to continue.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you, sir. It was a very broad question and it made a number of assertions.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: It was very specific.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The Leader of the Opposition is not asking specific questions today. He is asking—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: How much did it cost to cancel the Adelaide 500? It is very specific.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That was not the question.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Yes, it was—a global figure.

The CHAIR: I remind the committee that the same rules—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: If you do not want to answer it, just do not answer it; we will move on. I have lots of questions.

The CHAIR: Order, leader! I am speaking. The rules in the committee that are applied are the same as those in the house, and that is that when a minister is asked a question they can answer and respond to that question in whatever way they see fit.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you very much, sir. It was a very broad question. The Leader of the Opposition has narrowed it down now, but I am answering the original question which made some assertions with regard to our motivation for cancelling the Adelaide 500, and I am outlining them to the house. If the leader does not want me to outline them to the house, then I am more than happy to stop and move on to the next question, but I think it is relevant to the committee and to the people of South Australia. I am outlining the reasons why we formed the opinion that we would no longer be proceeding with supporting this event.

With the second part of the question, if that is the only part that we want answered, I have already answered that. I answered it at the previous question where I said that we would not be divulging that information. They were commercial-in-confidence negotiations. The Leader of the Opposition would be more than aware of how commercial-in-confidence negotiations and settlements work, and we will not be providing that information today.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Very well. Let the record show clearly that the Premier is not willing to disclose how taxpayers' dollars are being expended on cancelling events. My next question to the Premier is: was SATC in possession of any Adelaide 500 merchandise after the event was cancelled last year?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That is possible, yes.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What was the estimated value of the merchandise left over?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I do not have that information. I am happy to make an inquiry and come back to you.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Are you happy to take that on notice?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, that is what that means.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I just want to be clear. If you are taking it on notice, that is good that you will come back to us.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Just ask a question.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What type of merchandise was it, and can you provide a breakdown of the merchandise?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I said, I do not have the details of that, but it is very likely that there would be merchandise associated with that event. Again, we reluctantly made that decision, but we made that decision in the best interests of the taxpayers of South Australia and put that money that was originally allocated to that Adelaide 500 event into a range of events that we want to run right throughout the year to provide a greater level of employment, a greater level of visitation into South Australia. That was a decision of the SATC and it is one that I, as the minister, backed 100 per cent.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Good, excellent. Regarding all that merchandise, I have a suite of questions in this area if you are willing to take them on notice: what has happened to that merchandise? Was the merchandise destroyed or sold? If it was destroyed, why did you not try to sell the merchandise? Why did you not donate it to charity? These are questions I would invite the Premier to take on notice.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Ask them now and we will take them on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I just did.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Oh, sorry.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: So you are willing to take them on notice?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Sure.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Thank you.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That is what we do.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Who made the decision to sell off Adelaide 500 infrastructure? Did you direct that the infrastructure be sold off before the next election?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No. I think the Leader of the Opposition appreciates, like most members of the South Australian parliament, that they are a separate, standalone statutory authority. They make their own decisions with regard to their balance sheet.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: So who made the decision? The SATC made the decision to sell them off?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes, the board would have made a decision. The reality is we are not continuing—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Has the infrastructure been sold yet?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —with the Adelaide 500, and so there is no point whatsoever in sitting on—and a cost associated with the storage of facilities that we are no longer going to be using. I am quite sure the SATC board formed the opinion that the best thing they could do would be to reduce their ongoing operating costs associated with the storage of facilities they no longer needed.

There were some elements of the facilities that they had, which they said that there was some value in their using for other functions and events going forward, and they have been able to do that. But there were things that were surplus to their requirements, and they have looked for a home for them. Some of those things I think have found their way to The Bend, supporting motorsport in South Australia, and some will ultimately be sold.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Has all the infrastructure been sold yet?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No, I do not think that all the infrastructure has been sold. As I just outlined in my previous answer, some of it is being kept for future events. We run a very extensive events program in South Australia; it is one of the things we feel very strongly about. We are a very good state to run events that attract people from interstate and ultimately from overseas, and some of those facilities were very useful and can be repurposed.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Can the Premier provide a breakdown on what has been sold and what has not been sold?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice, and if I can get some information I will come back to you.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Thank you. I refer the Premier to the same budget reference that states that the difference in income and expenditure in the 2021-22 budget compared with the 2019-20 actual is primarily due to the cessation of the Adelaide 500 and the varied form of the Santos Festival of Cycling. I gather the sale of goods and services going from $11.8 million in 2019-20 to just $980,000 is mainly due to the cancellation of the Adelaide 500; would that be correct?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes, that is my understanding.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: So you cancelled an event that generated almost $10 million in ticket sales and sponsorship?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, it cost significantly more than that. You can look at one side of the equation. You have to look at the costs associated with running that event. Ultimately, that is the very detailed work that the SATC board did over an extended period of time and gave the unanimous recommendation to the government.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I refer the Premier to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 100, Program 2: Tourism Events:

Redirected funding from the former Adelaide 500 (net funding of approximately $14 million per annum) to the Leisure Events Bid Fund.

The government announced the Illuminate festival in August 2020, which has obviously unfortunately been interrupted through no fault of anybody. You announced the cancellation of the Adelaide 500 in October 2020, so Illuminate was done and dusted well before the decision to cancel the Adelaide 500. Can the Premier name a single event that has been announced since the cancellation of the Adelaide 500?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Which ones?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, for example, the NRL State of Origin match, which—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Sorry, my mistake, Premier. I got my question wrong; my apologies. Can the Premier inform the house if there has been one single new event that has been announced since the cancellation of the Adelaide 500?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That was certainly not envisaged previously. I think the Leader of the Opposition might be getting confused with the NRL State of Origin first round match that was held last year versus the one we have now secured going forward. We have also had other events we have secured going forward. I am quite happy to get a list of those for him.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: New events, not the Masters Games and so forth, which was already committed to, but new events—great new initiatives like the ones you promised on the news of the cancellation of the Adelaide 500.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I hope to be able to read this in uninterrupted, although I pretty much doubt it, given the leader's lack of sleep last night following the terrible, terrible information that came out yesterday. The first new event we have had since we came to government, of course, was the new Adelaide International. Before the Leader of the Opposition jumps in and says that was announced beforehand, we have secured a 10-year commitment to this since that decision was made, a 10-year commitment to bringing international tennis to South Australia, something we as a government feel very—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It is disconcerting, the cynicism of the opposition, when we secure an international event to South Australia and all the shadow minister can do is say we have already announced that. Actually, that is not correct; that is just not correct. Yes, we did have an original event, but we have now secured a 10-year agreement because of the investment we made in Memorial Drive and into this fantastic event.

Wasn't it great the first time it was held? Of course we were interrupted earlier this year, and that is why we had A Day at the Drive, which was another new event that was not on the calendar before, one we feel very positive about here in South Australia and one that was announced after the decision was made with the Adelaide 500.

Sir, with your indulgence I am happy to read some of these other new events since we came to government into the consideration—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Not since you came to government: since the cancellation of the Adelaide 500.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I said, a 10-year extension to the Adelaide International at Memorial Drive. Do we accept that is subsequent to that—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: No, I do not. Keep going.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Why do you not accept that?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Because what you promised—

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Don't you know how the calendar works? I can give you a copy and a walk-through of the Gregorian calendar. It is not complicated. There are 12 months, and every month has a—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What you promised people were great new events—

The CHAIR: Order!

Mr MALINAUSKAS: The extension of existing events is not a new event. We are still waiting for the list—keep going.

The CHAIR: Order! Leader, you have asked your question. You have made it quite clear what you are asking the Premier. The Premier—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The CHAIR: The member for West Torrens is called to order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Just one!

The CHAIR: The member for West Torrens is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will read a list of new events since we came to government—

Members interjecting:

The CHAIR: Let's do it, Premier—and you will be heard uninterrupted.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The CHAIR: Member for West Torrens!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: There was a 10-year extension to the Adelaide International at Memorial Drive announced in November last year. The year 2021 is the Year of South Australian Wine which, by the way, I must say is going extraordinarily well. South Australia has significantly outperformed the rest of the nation in terms of export of wine, and that is something we are very proud of.

At A Day at the Drive we saw six of the best players in the world, with an amazing global media audience for what was occurring right here in South Australia. There was the Australian Baseball League at the Adelaide hub down at West Beach and, of course, we have now announced the 2023 Australian Masters Games, which will be an eight-day—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: In fact, that is not correct. That was only announced in March this year, and with even with your basic understanding of how the calendar works—

The CHAIR: Premier!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —you would know that is subsequent to the announcement regarding the Adelaide 500—

The CHAIR: Premier, continue on and we will not respond to interjections.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you, sir. The eight-day sporting festival to be held in October 2023 will attract approximately 9,000 athletes to compete in 45 sports in 70 venues across the state. Of course, there is the NRL 2023 State of Origin, which we announced in March this year—so that is subsequent to the Adelaide 500 announcement. In April this year, we also announced Moving Portraits by Robert Wilson at the Art Gallery of South Australia.

We know that those events are events that can be held over an extended period of time, so any restrictions or lockdowns that are held would not necessarily affect so comprehensively a one or two-day event. Of course, subsequent to the cancellation last year we have had the announcement of the Women's World Cup coming to South Australia in 2023, where we put in an excellent compelling and competitive bid to bring games to South Australia, and part of that, of course, was our massive upgrade to Coopers Stadium at Hindmarsh.

We announced in May this year the 2021 Australian Masters Rowing Championships and the World Cup 3 Replica Regatta. I would say that, since we have been here sitting in this very important estimates meeting, Australian rowers have won two gold, a silver and a bronze over at the Tokyo Olympics, and we hope to see a lot of fantastic Masters rowing taking place here in South Australia when that is going to be held, which will be absolutely fantastic.

Obviously, the Leader of the Opposition has already referred to the Illuminate South Australia program, but the announcement—since the cancellation of the Adelaide 500—of course was taking it regionally. We love to support our regions in South Australia. It has already been down to Mount Gambier, and I heard from the member for Mount Gambier that there were lots of delighted smiles on the faces of people down in that area.

It will travel up to the fabulous Riverland area. In fact, I think it is going to Renmark on the beautiful shores of the Murray, and of course it is also going over to Eyre Peninsula, in your electorate, sir, near your hometown of Edillilie. It is going to Tumby Bay, so the mayor of Tumby Bay should be pleased with that. We have also announced very recently the extension of Tasting Australia. This has been extraordinarily—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: That does not count as new events. The question was about new events. Extensions do not count as new events, sir. The question was about new events.

The CHAIR: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, it is a new event.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Extensions of what the former Labor government did is not an example of new initiatives that you promised people as a result of the cancellation of the Adelaide 500.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Thank you very much for that practical lesson from the Leader of the Opposition—desperate for relevance today. It is a tough 24 hours for him. As I was saying, yes, Tasting Australia has been in place for a long period of time. In fact, I think Tasting Australia goes right back to 1997. Last time I remembered the Labor Party was not the government of the day at that point in time. I think that might have been a Liberal government. I am sure the Leader of the Opposition will take the first opportunity to correct the record where he completely incorrectly asserted that it was a Labor Party initiative.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I am happy to, sir.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Of course, it was a Liberal initiative. What we were emphasising, leader, was not a new event but a new component to this event, which is a winter series to support our restaurants and our food sector in South Australia, two sectors that are going to be very important. We have also put up a lot of additional money into regional events. I cannot tell you exactly which ones they are, but we put a further $1 million into regional events. This will be composed of both existing events and new events. There will be some that are expanded as a combination of expanded and new event.

I do not have all the new events to provide to you today, but I do want to thank the Events team at SATC. This has been an extraordinarily tough time for anybody involved in events anywhere in the country, anywhere in the world. It must be heartbreaking for Rachael Azzopardi, Lee Cumberlidge and Ian Scobie from Illuminate Adelaide, who have put their heart and soul into developing a fabulous program, just as it would be heartbreaking for event organisers interstate and overseas who have had to cancel at the last moment.

I think that flexibility is the order of the day when it comes to event organising in South Australia, and I do want to thank our fabulous team at Events SA.

The CHAIR: Thank you, Premier, for that very comprehensive list. I would like to inform the committee that the leader has indicated that he will correct the record.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Yes, of course, sir. I welcome the opportunity, Mr Chairman, to acknowledge the fact that I wrongly accredited Tasting Australia as being an initiative of the former Labor government: clearly, it was John Olsen. I welcome the opportunity to correct the record and acknowledge the fact that the Premier now is so desperate to point to new events that he has reached back as far as 1997, the last millennium.

The CHAIR: An event, of course, that is still running.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I might invite my office to go back and check VCR records to try to find footage of John Olsen making that announcement that the Premier is now claiming credit for.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: They have not been asking any decent questions.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: The Premier committed that all the money from the Adelaide 500 would be expended on this extraordinary new suite of events. I know the member for King's constituents would be bursting at the seams to get down and enjoy the Masters rowing and witness that in all its glory. I love watching the rowing—it is good during the Olympics—but I do not think that Masters rowing is going to replace the Adelaide 500. My question is: in terms of that $14 million, how much of that has been expended thus far on securing events like Masters rowing?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Can I just say that the $14 million is not for events that have already occurred. It is on an ongoing basis and we have ring-fenced that. Some of those events have been announced and I have just announced some of them.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Yes, comprehensive.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: You would imagine that some of that money has gone towards that and some of it is for new events that we are still yet to announce.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: How much of that $14 million has been allocated thus far?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I do not know. We are one month into the financial year—in fact, we have not finished the first calendar month of a 12-month period. It is an extraordinary question. They would not have even finished the end of month arrangements. We are one month—in fact, we are not even one month—into the calendar year and the hard-hitting question from the Leader of the Opposition, who has been up all night worrying his socks off, is: how much have you expended so far? I will take that question on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: How much of that $14 million? Of course, the Adelaide 500 was cancelled in the former financial year, not the current financial year. I appreciate the Premier's drama and commentary and that he is desperate to look like he has strength of leadership. I am going to the quick. The decisions you are making—

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: You are the one under pressure, my friend. You are in a world of trouble and the member for West Torrens is part of that cabal. Bring him in, bring Bernie Finnigan back, bring Atko back. What a disaster. How embarrassing.

The CHAIR: Enough, Premier. In fact, I am the one under pressure here, trying to run this committee. Although members of this committee—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Chairman, I enjoy it when the Premier starts behaving like this because it gives South Australians an opportunity to see the Premier with the peacock feathers fully displayed and get a bit of a sense of our—

The CHAIR: The leader is called to order.

The Hon. S.S. Marshall interjecting:

The CHAIR: Order!

Mr MALINAUSKAS: My question simply is: given the Adelaide 500 was cancelled in the last financial year, not the current one, notwithstanding your dramatic former answer, how much of the money has been spent thus far on acquiring new events? I am more than happy for you to take that on notice in terms of the last financial year.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am not sure what you mean by 'acquiring new events'. Is the leader referring to whether or not we have paid any fees to bring an event to South Australia or whether we have committed funds for future periods? Of course, I have announced some commitments, but the expenditure associated with those would not occur immediately but would occur in the financial period for which they are actually planned. Could the leader perhaps provide some clarity to his question? It does not seem to make a lot of sense.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I am simply saying that the government's position has consistently been that all the moneys not expended on the Adelaide 500 would be expended on new events. I have asked how much is being expended this financial year and you said you will take that on notice. In terms of the former financial year, I was wondering if you could take that on notice too.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We are happy to take that on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Thank you. What is the new music festival that you are set to announce in the very near future?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Sorry?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: A new music festival.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We are considering a large number of events. Can I just say a massive thank you to the people of South Australia as well as the Events Advisory Group and members of the board of the SATC, who have all been considering a large number of events. In fact, I think the number of events that we might have considered and the SATC team have looked at might have topped 100 different events. Whilst many people have advocated for different opportunities, we will announce the final arrangements when they are ready.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Can the Premier confirm that there is a new music festival on the horizon that you are set to announce?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No. That final program is being determined at the moment. All I can say is that we want to have a breadth of events right throughout the entire year. We want to have events that people come along to as spectators, like events that the Leader of the Opposition was referring to a moment ago when he was in a pretty childish sort of way asking who is going to go along and watch the Masters Games. Actually, there will be a huge number of people who will go along and watch the Masters rowing.

They may not be members of the general public, but what are we trying to achieve here? We are trying to increase our interstate and overseas visitation in South Australia to support our tourism operators in this state with bed nights; with expenditure in our restaurants, our pubs, our clubs, our cafes; with extensions to holidays.

We know for a fact that when people come in for these Masters Games they do have very strong expenditure in our state. The vast majority of them are coming from interstate. We also know that their length of stay is extraordinary. They compete in the event, they bring their supporters and then they go on for a holiday, often in regional South Australia, which I must say is experiencing boom times at the moment.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Which is why the Adelaide 500 was so successful, and it begs the question: why possibly cancel it? When was the last time the Events Advisory Group met?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I do not have that detail. Essentially, the Events Advisory Group was formed really as a representative of a number of sectors that could provide some advice into the SATC, but ultimately it was always the SATC's responsibility to allocate their $14 million on a range of events which would maximise employment and interstate visitation. That has always been the major focus.

Of course, we have to remain flexible and we have to remain nimble because we know that there are some borders that are in place. We know that there are very likely going to be state borders that are going to be in place on again and off again during this period of time, so obviously at the moment we are trying to pivot to things that are going to create keeping people here in South Australia. If you think about what we are trying to do, there are two major things: one is to bring more people in from interstate and overseas and the other is to actually stop the leakage of people out of South Australia interstate or overseas.

Those two things, when they are netted off against each other, is the equation that we are focused on in South Australia. At the moment, a major focus for the SATC is to stop that leakage out and get people spending their money in South Australia. That has been very successful, and I want to commend the SATC board, the chief executive and the team at the SATC. Many people were used to spending money interstate and overseas. They are not doing that at the moment because I think the product offering in South Australia is excellent and I hope there is a permanent pivot.

I was over in your electorate, sir, the electorate of Flinders, earlier in the year and I was stopped in the street by people who were over in beautiful Port Lincoln. I said, 'Do you come here often?' They said, 'I have never been here before.' I thought to myself, 'Are you joking? You've never been to Port Lincoln?' I must have been there 20 times. I love that place, but there are plenty of people who have not been to Port Lincoln or they have not been to Coffin Bay, the Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, down to the South-East, up to the beautiful Riverland or maybe our fabulous Barossa Valley, although I think most people have been there.

The great thing with this situation is that people who have gone to Port Lincoln for the very first time are booking in again for next year and they are telling their friends. When the international borders are removed, I think people are going to think twice about heading overseas with their money. I think they are going to want to spend it in their own backyard.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Let's hope so. I have a final question on this topic. We are now eight, nine, if not 10 months past the decision to cancel the Adelaide 500. It's a significant period of time, to say the least. The Premier committed that we were going to have all these fantastic new events and you have listed off a bunch of old ones and a couple that are maybe a little bit new.

When I asked you about the $14 million, the committee meeting and whether there a music festival, you said, 'Look, there's a whole bunch of things under consideration. We're still working through it.' That is fine, except this, Premier: why cancel the Adelaide 500, even for this year, if it is going to take 10, 12 months—I do not know how many more—for you to start announcing the events that are going to replace it? Would you not have done that work before you cancelled the Adelaide 500?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I think that is a reasonable question, but I would point out to the leader that what we are seeing now are these very large events, which big expenditure goes into, having to unfortunately be cancelled. I think we just had an announcement today from Victoria that their version of our Royal Adelaide Show has had to be cancelled.

We have seen some very strong restrictions put in place for large events where you have large numbers of people randomly wandering around. There was zero chance that we could hold the Adelaide 500 like we have held it before. As I said, it was a great event for our state in the past, but there was no chance that that was going to be plausible. Putting all our eggs into one basket—a huge expenditure over a four-day period with a very high chance that it could not go ahead in its normal format—was not a useful expenditure for South Australia or a useful risk for us to carry going forward.

What we are going to have instead is a spread. They will not be events of the same size and magnitude, but they will also not be events of the same risk. We do want to have motorsport in South Australia. We have a great heritage and history of motorsport in South Australia. The Leader of the Opposition, only a few moments ago, was castigating me for going back to 1997 to basically set my events schedule. I would point out that the Adelaide 500, the one that he supports at the moment, was actually an Olsen event from the previous millennium. That was not a Labor Party initiative either, so that is an old event as well.

We have to move with the times and we have to recognise that the world is currently operating in a global pandemic declared by the World Health Organization. We have to appreciate that and I think the SATC has provided expert advice—prudent advice—to the government and we have accepted it.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: I refer to Budget Paper 3, page 26, table 2.6. Why is there a $24 million cut for the SATC in the forward estimates?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I think we went through this last year. There is very lumpy expenditure associated with tourism budgets and some items, which were previously in the SATC budget, now exist in different budgets. Unless there is any specific amount that you would like me to reconcile or anything that you would particularly like to draw to our attention, we did go through this last year. It is one of the most peculiar budgets because you do not have exactly the same lines running year after year, as you would see in maybe some other budgets. You have to be opportunistic. You have to say, 'Here is an opportunity to put some money into a certain event or bring a certain opportunity to South Australia,' and we have taken them in the past.

One component, which was previously in the SATC budget, has now been transferred—I think it is $5 million a year—to another budget here in South Australia and that is the convention bid fund. These are the reasons, but we can go through it in more detail if you wish or if you have any specific area that you would like me to reconcile for you.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: Premier, my biggest concern is what message you are sending to our tourism operators, travel agents, accommodation providers and the hospitality sector with these severe cuts to SATC, given that our visitor economy has almost halved. At a high, it was $8.1 billion and now we are down to $4.4 billion. What kind of message are you giving with these cuts in the future?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Wow, that is quite extraordinary. Let's be clear: since we came to government we have put a major focus on developing the tourism sector in South Australia and, in fact, it rose to $8.1 billion. When the Labor government was in power—

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: We are talking about this budget.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —I think it was sitting at $7.6 billion. In case the shadow minister for tourism has not heard about it yet, there is this global pandemic on at the moment. It is called the coronavirus. It is really affecting tourism operators. Perhaps I now understand why the Leader of the Opposition took up the first 45 minutes questioning in this area and did not let the shadow minister ask a question when her first question is really a pretty—

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: It is about cuts to the forward budget.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No, sorry, but the shadow minister made it really clear that there had been this dramatic cut in revenue and operation in the sector. This is driven by the coronavirus. If the shadow minister and the Labor Party do not appreciate that and the extraordinary work that our tourism operators in South Australia have done to address and respond and pivot to this, well, it beggars belief. Since this has occurred, we have worked with—

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: This is entirely about your budget and the cuts to the future.

The CHAIR: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Maybe they are all upset on that side of the chamber today.

The CHAIR: I will come back to you, member for Ramsay.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: We have 15 minutes left, there is a lot to go through and the Premier is embarking on a lot of commentary, seeking to patronise the shadow minister, and making all sorts of commentary about the opposition. I just really invite the Premier to answer the questions.

The CHAIR: To be honest, leader, through the morning there has been commentary from both sides, from both the Premier and the opposition benches. We have set that scene. The shadow minister has asked her first question. The Premier is probably drawing his answer to a close.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Right, sir. It has been a tough day for the Labor right. They have just lost two of their strongest members historically in the last 24 hours, but I will address the question.

The CHAIR: Thank you.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The shadow minister asserted that, of course, there had been a very big reduction in tourism activity in South Australia. Well, yes, we acknowledge that—

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: I am talking about operating expenses going forward.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —and what we have done since that has occurred is put money into areas which we think are going to support the sector through this period. Obviously, there are some components that have been very, very disproportionately hit—for example, international tourist numbers coming into South Australia. They have virtually dried up—and of course we have seen a very significant reduction in interstate visitors. People make plans but unfortunately, because of border restrictions and changed arrangements, they have had to cancel those plans. It has created a reluctance for that interstate traveller to come into South Australia.

We are still going to focus on those areas and try to optimise our performance in those areas. I really would like to commend the people at the SATC for the great work that they have done to keep international partners informed about what we are doing, creating that bubble with New Zealand and international travellers, but the major focus has to be on supporting people during this period.

We have now had four rounds of the Great State Voucher, which was really pioneered here in South Australia. It has worked fabulously well. I am often stopped in the street by people who have said that they are using their voucher. They have come down from the country, or maybe they have been in suburban Adelaide and just come in to enjoy the delights of the CBD. This is a voucher that has operated both in the CBD and in the country.

One of the other things we have done is to really support our regional tourism operators during this period of time with the Tourism Infrastructure Development Fund. This is a $20 million new initiative to support those operators to bring forward capital projects to enhance their operations, their facilities, their offer and their experience to keep people spending money in South Australia. In the first financial year, I think we almost expended the full $10 million, and there is another $10 million this year, and that has delivered a huge investment in infrastructure right across regional South Australia.

The shadow minister talks about the forward estimates, four years, and she puts forward a number. As I said, part of that is the fact that we have transferred money for the convention bid fund out of the SATC budget and into another budget that sits, I think, under the control of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, so there is movement there. We have also seen a major investment across government, as I alluded to earlier in my time as the tourism minister—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Point of order.

The CHAIR: Premier, there is a point of order.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Standing order 98, sir; we have a lot of other questions to get to and the Premier is moving beyond the—

The CHAIR: I realise you probably do have a lot of other questions. However, the member for Ramsay's question was particularly broad and the Premier has obviously provided a broad-ranging response. I have been listening carefully, and I believe his response thus far has been relevant to the question but, with that in mind, Premier, we might bring this particular response to a close.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Happy to, sir. I was just going to very briefly say that we do have an across-government expenditure in this area— for example, the great work SATC has been doing with the Department for Environment and Water to get more nature-based tourism, very significant expenditure by the government. Yes, it does not appear in these numbers but, quite frankly, the tourism sector does not really care about which budget line it comes in. They want to see the overall sector growing, and that is precisely what is going to happen. Yes, there has been a hiatus because of the coronavirus, but we are investing in this sector and we are investing hard.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Can I just thank the SATC for their work and move on to the Adelaide Venue Management questions? I thank the SATC for their preparation of estimates. I know it takes a lot of effort and time, so thank you.

The CHAIR: Thanks, leader.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: While that is happening, I thank the SATC and the Premier for taking up our tourism vouchers idea that we advocated for from early last year, so thank you.

The CHAIR: Leader, it throws to me now. There being no further questions, I declare the examination of the proposed payments for the South Australian Tourism Commission complete. We are going on to Adelaide Venue Management, and you have had a change of advisers, Premier.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Budget Paper 5, page 86, Riverbank arena—and we have a lot to get through, so we will move expeditiously. Has the business case for the new basketball stadium been completed and, if so, when will it be released publicly?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: First of all, I do not know why the Leader of the Opposition constantly refers to this as a basketball stadium. Is he referring to the new state-based basketball facility that we are talking about at Wayville? Is he getting confused with netball and the money we are putting into the netball stadium? He seems to constantly be referring to a basketball stadium. Perhaps he could clarify what he is talking about.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: The basketball stadium that you announced as your centrepiece election policy on the front page of The Advertiser a few months ago.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I said, the major announcement that we have made with regard to basketball recently has been the statewide basketball facility that we have entered into an agreement with to develop at Wayville showgrounds. I am looking forward to what that is going to be. We also continue to work with the Adelaide 36ers at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre which may be what the Leader of the Opposition is referring to. But if he is referring to—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: No, like I said—

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Why don't you grow up and start referring to it by what it is actually called—the Riverbank arena?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Riverbank arena.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Okay, the Riverbank arena basketball stadium, when will you release the business case, or has it been completed, and when will you release it publicly?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: This is a project that we have been looking at for an extended period of time. As the Leader of the Opposition would know, there have been a lot of considerations for this new arena. I think South Australia has known for a long period of time that the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, as much loved as it is, is tired and needs significant investment. It is too small and it is in the wrong place.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Have you completed a business case and when will you release it? It is a really specific question. We have eight minutes. I just invite the Premier to answer it.

The CHAIR: I am sure, leader, the Premier has your question.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am just giving some background. This is an important project for South Australia and it is not one that we have taken lightly and there have been multiple iterations of the work that has been done on this to date. This is something that has gone off to Infrastructure SA, so it has gone through the independent umpire. Infrastructure SA is chaired by Tony Shepherd. It has an excellent board. They have told us in government that it is ready for investment, so yes that work has been done and I think there is going to be a consolidated business plan which will be delivered in the coming months.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: So no business case has been completed and there is no commitment to when that will be released. Before the COVID-19 pandemic—

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I note that the previous government, I am reliably informed, did work on a business case for exactly the same facility. I do not think they actually released the business case for that. By contrast, what we will do—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: We did not commit to it as a central policy.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: What we will be doing—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2018-19 how many times did the Adelaide Entertainment Centre sell out without discounting tickets or fire sale tickets?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I do not have that information, but what I do have is the fact that—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Can you take that on notice?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Well, I am just finishing my answer. I know it has been a tough time, but you will get through this. There are plenty of examples where we do not have a situation in South Australia where artists are even coming to South Australia. Again, going back to my previous evidence to this committee, what that does is provide a leakage out of South Australia where people travel interstate for events and concerts. We have to stop that; we want to go back the other way.

We want to keep everybody in South Australia and bring more people in, and that is one of the reasons why we need to expand the capacity of the existing Adelaide Entertainment Centre footprint. It is under capacity. In its current format, my understanding is that it is services an audience of about 8,300. The new facility will be closer to 15,000 which significantly improves the viability for acts coming to South Australia and, therefore, the range of product that we will be able to offer.

Most importantly, it is about moving into a logical place where, when events finish, people do not scurry home. They actually spend some time in the city, in the CBD, spending money in our pubs, our clubs, our cafes, our restaurants, and enlivening the CBD, and that is one of our major areas of focus.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Just to be clear, before the COVID-19 pandemic—let's take for instance the financial year of 2018-19—can the Premier take on notice how many times the Adelaide Entertainment Centre sold out without any discounting of tickets or tickets being given away?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am not even sure what you are referring to. I am quite sure there are discounts given on virtually every concert. There are a range of discounts that are probably provided, complimentary tickets that are provided. Can I just say that a minute ago it was a basketball stadium; now it is a concert stadium. We will also at some point hopefully get onto the fact that this is going to be a massive, massive, massive expansion of our convention footprint in South Australia, but at the heart of this project it is all about creating sustainable long-term jobs in South Australia. That is what this is about. It is a very good investment, it has been through Infrastructure SA and it is a pity the Leader of the Opposition will not get on board.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I believe there are other priorities that should be higher up the list. This is my last attempt at this before I move on. Is the Premier willing to take on notice how many times during the 2018-19 financial year the Adelaide Entertainment sold out?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I have already answered that question twice. I am not going to continue answering the same question.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: You have not answered it. It is somewhat extraordinary that we are committing $660-odd million of taxpayers' money to a new Riverbank arena, basketball stadium, convention facility, whatever you would like to call it, to replace the Adelaide Entertainment Centre (your words not mine) without you willing to take on notice how many times that facility sold out in the previous financial year, but we will move on to the next question.

The CHAIR: Premier, I am just going to make a point here. We are dealing with the 2020-21 budget, of course, and the out years from that. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It just does not make any sense to me because this is not something that we have done on a whim. It has gone through extraordinary passes at the moment.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Well, you should know the answer to these questions then. Where is the business case?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I said earlier, we will be releasing an abridged version of that business case, but we have to be careful as there are commercial-in-confidence aspects to that as well. What we need to do in South Australia is appreciate that this is an investment that has gone through the independent umpire. The previous government did not have the Infrastructure SA board in place providing advice to the government with regard to the spending of public capital. We have put that in place, and they said that this is ready for investment.

It will create a return for the people of South Australia. We will actually get a return each and every year over and above depreciation, over and above interest on this project. It will enliven our CBD, it will expand our convention footprint and it will expand our concert footprint. This is a project that is going to create jobs in South Australia and the Labor opposition want to talk about discounts on tickets two years ago. It is extraordinary.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Given we are talking about convention centres, I refer the Premier to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 173, Adelaide Venue Management. Did the Convention Centre grant your assistant minister, Jing Lee, any discounts when she booked that event and could you please explain to me why FOI documents released by your office revealed that Ms Coralie Cheney, who is the General Manager, Functions and Business Events at the Convention Centre was sitting at your table at that Liberal Party fundraiser?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No, I cannot give any advice as to the seating plan. I am involved in lots of things in the state, but certainly the seating plan at a private function I attended is not something I have control over. My understanding is that no state government money went into that project whatsoever.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I asked if Ms Jing Lee received a discount from the venue for the function.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I have no idea.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Could you take that on notice?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It is certainly not something that I deal with.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Could you take it on notice and ask the venue management board if they could take it on notice for me, please? Why will you not take it on notice, Premier? What are you afraid they might find?

The CHAIR: Member for West Torrens, give the Premier the opportunity to answer.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I said, no taxpayer dollars were involved in this whatsoever.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: That is not the question I asked.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: This is a public facility and it is for hire. I know that they were very grateful for the work because, as most people in this room would appreciate, it has been a pretty tough time for activities, especially activities with a large number of people.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Did Jing Lee get a discount?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I just do not know that information.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Could you take it on notice, please?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I said, it has nothing to do with me.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: The CE is right next to you.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Ask the CE; he is sitting next to you.

The CHAIR: No, member for West Torrens—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Did you give one of your colleagues a discount?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We have already been through this. Why don't you listen?

The CHAIR: Member for West Torrens and the leader, I have already ruled on this. The questions are directed to the Premier or the ministers, and—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I am. I am asking the Premier to ask the CE.

The CHAIR: No, that is not how it works. The Premier can choose to ask the CE—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Premier, choose to ask your CE a question.

The CHAIR: —or an adviser, if he wishes. Otherwise, he is able to answer in the way he sees fit.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I have provided my answer to the committee, sir.

The CHAIR: Leader, do you have a question?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Yes.

The CHAIR: The last one for this portfolio.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: My question is to the Premier. Why will the Premier not ask his chief executive—who is in his immediate presence and who has taken the time from his pretty hectic schedule at a difficult time to come here to aid the committee with information—if he is aware whether the Jing Lee fundraising event, which a lot of people attended with little knowledge of the fact that it was indeed a Liberal Party fundraiser, received any form of discount from Adelaide Venue Management?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I cannot be any clearer. This is an event that did not receive any taxpayer funding whatsoever. I attended it.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: But that was not the question, Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The commercial arrangements between this statutory authority and any client—I am quite sure they provide discounts to all sorts of people. I have no idea whether they provided it in this particular instance. What I do know is that we are trying to create jobs in South Australia, and when you do hold a large event you do employ a lot of people. I think that people should be proud of that. I am not going to go into things which I am not responsible for, and I am certainly not responsible for this area at all.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: But you are responsible for Adelaide Venue Management.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I would be if there were state taxpayer dollars going into it, and I have confirmed, I think thrice now, that that has not been the case.

The CHAIR: I am going to conclude this session. Having reached the allotted time, I declare the examination of the proposed payments for the South Australian Tourism Commission and Adelaide Venue Management Authority to be complete.