WORLD FOOD EXCHANGE

Mr PENGILLY (Finniss) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Tourism. How many people will attend the minister's self-praised initiative, the World Food Exchange, and for how many hours or days will it run? Yesterday, the minister confirmed that the one week long event scheduled for the Convention Centre has been postponed. It then shifted from the Convention Centre to the Hilton Hotel and was then postponed, part-cancelled and reduced to a luncheon at the Hilton. Minister, is it just you?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education and Children's Services, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:57): There does seem to be a little interest in this event, and I am very delighted that the member opposite is keen to be invited. I am absolutely delighted to invite him to the event. As he observed so—

Mr Pengilly: Just you and me!

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left will come to order! The Minister for Tourism.

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: As the honourable member observed so dramatically yesterday, the dates have been changed, and the reason is that we have a policy of spreading our events through the winter months. There was a strategic view that September—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport will come to order! The Minister for Tourism has the call.

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: —was a better time to have an event. I took the advice from the department because, indeed, we do not have a lot of major events in September. We have extended the season fairly dramatically to include a series of activities in June. We now have the International Guitar Festival in November and we have Classic Adelaide in about the same period. Moving events into September is a good strategic move by the department.

I can understand the disappointment of the honourable member opposite. He was obviously terribly enthusiastic about the June date. I must apologise for not specifically telling him of the change of dates, because, clearly, it has affected his diary adversely, and I apologise for that. In the future, we will send him advance warnings, he will be personally invited and I would be very pleased to give him a briefing on the exact format of the event.