SPORTING EVENTS

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (14:30): Will the Premier please update the house on international sporting events coming to Adelaide?

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:30): I am surprised that I did not get more notice about the question; however, following the previous question, I can announce to the house that we are one species up on where we were prior to the election. In fact, I cannot think of any jurisdiction in the world where the Leader of the Government can stand up and say, 'Not only do we have a zero species loss policy but we have got one back,' because we discovered that there was—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: No, you are wrong. We discovered that Sir George Gray (and members opposite, I am sure, reading Camus and others, existentialists that they are, would know), a Governor of South Australia, went to New Zealand to become Governor, and then became Governor-General—

Ms CHAPMAN: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms CHAPMAN: How can this possibly have anything to do with sports events? It is insulting to the questioner.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will take his seat. The deputy leader will address her points of order to the chair rather than the Premier. I am sure there is a connection to sports, and I am waiting to hear it.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: There is absolutely a connection. So, he was Governor, Governor-General and Premier in those days (now called Prime Minister) of New Zealand. He took some tammar wallabies from South Australia to his island off Auckland, and there they flourished while they became extinct here—

Ms CHAPMAN: I rise on a point of order, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order. The Premier will take his seat.

Ms CHAPMAN: Unless the Premier is announcing a new wallaby race in this state, he ought to get back to the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The Premier.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Yes, there is a leak, and I was about to come to that with the special events. What happened was that we brought back 100 tammar wallabies, which were extinct in South Australia.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: No, this is a particular breed—one with a New Zealand accent. They got me to open the first case so they did not feel threatened. There was a sort of a mid-Tasman accent. I am very pleased that they are doing well. They are at the Monarto Zoo. I make this pledge today that the tammar wallaby, the New Zealand accented, formerly extinct tammar wallaby—

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order.

Ms CHAPMAN: Mr Speaker, three times I have had to take a point of order on the Premier with respect to how this relates to major sports events in South Australia, and three times you have asked him to get to the point.

The SPEAKER: Order! The deputy leader will take her seat. Perhaps the Premier might turn to the substance of the question.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: And, so, the tammar wallaby has today been proclaimed in this house as the official world mascot of the Rugby 7s.

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order. The Premier will turn to the substance of the question.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: We have recently seen the outstanding success of the Tour Down Under, which this year was the first ever Pro Tour event held outside Europe and which attracted more than 500,000 people track side. Of course, only the Liberals would accuse cyclists such as Robbie McEwen and Stuart O'Grady of being B graders, but we get used to that. We have also had the Australia Day cricket test, and next week we mark the 10^thClipsal 500, an event that just keeps growing, with record ticket sales this year. Unlike the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix (pipped to make a $40 million loss this year), our race makes a profit.

Next month for the first time Glenelg will play host to the Beach Volleyball World Tour. I know it will be in the honourable member's electorate but, please, do not come down and bag the Glenelg beach volleyball; that would be really bad. Do not describe the world's best Olympic beach volleyballers as third rate, B grade or C grade. Also, I can announce today a new stadium—not one that will apparently cost $1 billion and double up as an alternative reservoir; sort of mixed and matched, apparently.

I make this pledge today that by the end of next month we will build a stadium down at Moseley Square in Glenelg, a world-class 3,000 seat volleyball stadium. Then in April, Adelaide's reputation for hosting sporting events of world significance will be further enhanced, with the International Rugby 7s returning to the Adelaide Oval. Hence where the tammar wallaby comes in. New Zealand and Australia once again vying to be world champions.

The round in Adelaide is part of the International Rugby Board's 7s World Series, and the only Australian stop on a circuit that also travels through Hong Kong, London, Wellington, Sand Diego and South Africa. Thousands of interstate and overseas visitors will be heading for South Australia. I am really pleased to hear that 35 per cent of the advance sales are people from interstate.

Tourists from Great Britain, Germany, the UK, Singapore, the USA, Fiji and New Zealand have already purchased tickets to join the influx into the city for a high profile rugby tournament involving 16 teams from around the world. This tournament is not just for fans of rugby union, or former players like myself. Its fast paced style and carnival atmosphere make it a great outing for anyone.

As John O'Neill, the chief executive of Australian Rugby Union said, when I met with him at Adelaide Oval: even though we are not a traditional rugby city, we embraced the 7s last year, with 25,000 people coming, with a great carnival atmosphere. The inaugural Rugby 7s, played at the Adelaide Oval, received more than 175 hours of television coverage, with an audience of about 200 million plus, it is estimated, in 137 countries.

This boosts our profile internationally, as well as bringing more people to town, spending money and creating jobs. This year that international audience is expected to be even bigger, with our magnificent Adelaide Oval being seen in Japan, Hong Kong, India, the USA, the Middle East, the UK, Portugal, Ireland, Romania and Brazil. Certainly, we want to see that mirrored with an increasing attendance at this year's event, and I look forward to welcoming members of the opposition. I am happy to explain the rules, and perhaps to show them some of the enduring bruises and injuries that I still sustain.