House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1) 52 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Tour Down Under TOUR DOWN UNDER Mr SIBBONS House of Assembly Mitchell TOUR DOWN UNDER Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (14:24): My question is directed to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on the success of the Santos Tour Down Under? Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Norwood. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly Ramsay Premier Minister for Economic Development Minister for Social Inclusion Minister for the Arts Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change 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) (14:24): I was interested in the interjection of the Leader of the Opposition. I was defending the Leader of the Opposition at the Clipsal the other day. I know she attacked the state dinner, but it was great to see her there enjoying herself, along with her colleagues. But the other thing is that someone came up to me and said, 'You know, she's not a people person,' and I said, 'That's not true, it is not true, that is absolutely not true'—despite the fact that her backbenchers are— Mr WILLIAMS House of Assembly Mr WILLIAMS: The point of order is relevance. I think the Premier was asked about the Tour Down Under, a great Liberal initiative. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Yes, I will uphold that point of order. Premier, return to your answer. The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: We are aware of what is happening in Queensland today and how that must be making everyone over on the other side somewhat nervous. This year's Santos Tour Down Under— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: —was once again a monumental success. We know that members opposite, including the Leader of the Opposition, wince in pain whenever our state succeeds, but our event is now the first race of the season on the UCI's new world tour circuit, and in 2011 we had the best— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: —line-up of cyclists ever. We welcomed the world's fastest sprinters, people like Mark Cavendish, known as the Manx missile (that is because he is from the Isle of Man). We were introduced to the world's great up-and-coming Australian talent, like eventual winner Cameron Meyer, and, of course, there was seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who brought down the curtain on his amazing career at our event. He started his comeback in Adelaide and finished his comeback in Adelaide. We had challenging race routes that took in areas like Tailem Bend and a River Murray crossing for the first time, along with the old favourites like Willunga and, of course, the Adelaide city circuit, and we had huge crowds witnessing the spectacle. So I am very pleased to announce that independent economic impact and research figures reveal that the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under was in fact the biggest ever. More than 782,000 people watched the event as it unfolded over the course of the week, up 12,000 spectators on last year's event. The event this year generated $43.3 million for the state, compared to $41.5 million in 2010. Each visitor from interstate or overseas spent $1,169 this year compared to $1,047 in 2010. Mrs Redmond interjecting: The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: Pardon? Mrs Redmond House of Assembly Mrs Redmond: 43¢. The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: 43¢—exactly. The Tour Down Under showcases South Australia to the rest of the world via a huge international television audience. This year, television broadcast 284 hours and attracted media coverage worth in excess of $154 million. Riders, team officials and the fans who lined the streets of Adelaide in South Australia for the race were united in their praise for the event and its high level of organisation. Thanks again to Mike Turtur and his team and Hitaf Rasheed and her team. Earlier this month, last year's event was recognised as the nation's Best Major Event and Festival for the second year running at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards. When you think of all of the events around the country, whether it's the Melbourne Open or fireworks in Sydney, or the Melbourne Grand Prix, or whatever it is, twice in a row South Australia has won with the Tour Down Under, just as we won four times with the Clipsal 500. I thank them for their ongoing commitment to making the Santos Tour Down Under— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: —bigger and better every year. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. M.D. RANN House of Assembly The Hon. M.D. RANN: South Australians are justifiably proud of this event. It is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere. We own it, and nobody is taking it away from us. That will not happen because we are not only Australia's most liveable city but we are also the nation's undisputed cycling capital. We have invested more than $100 million on cycling facilities since 2002 and almost doubled the size of our extensive network of bike lanes and paths to more than 900 kilometres. During the tour, we officially named one of those bike paths The Livestrong Path to honour the lasting legacy of Lance Armstrong and also, of course, his commitment to raising funds for cancer research and the building of the Livestrong Cancer Research Centre next to the Flinders Medical Centre. So, while traitors sneer and cowards flinch, we will keep the Tour Down Under flying its flag high here in South Australia. Honourable members House of Assembly Honourable members: Hear, hear! The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Leader of the Opposition.