House of Assembly Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2) 52 2 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Oaks Day OAKS DAY Mr BIGNELL House of Assembly Mawson OAKS DAY Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (15:16): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house about the success of Saturday's Oaks Day and the support provided by the state government towards staging the event? The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL House of Assembly Cheltenham Premier Minister for State Development OAKS DAY The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (15:16): I had great pleasure to attend the races on Saturday, the Schweppes Oaks Day. I would have had much more pleasure if my old man had passed on a tip that he gave to my advisers, but it was a good day, all the same. It was a historic day— The Hon. P.F. Conlon House of Assembly The Hon. P.F. Conlon: It was 10 to 1. The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It was 10 to 1. It was a historic day for racing in South Australia— The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting: The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, you wanted to flog it for industrial purposes. I remember that. The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting: The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: No, it's in the same pamphlet—Iain Evans. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL House of Assembly The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: He doesn't like the fact that I featured him in one of my pamphlets. I got a little quote from him. It was quite handy. Adelaide turned on a fantastic day. We had great weather, a sell-out crowd of 30,000 and, of course, that historic win for the great mare Black Caviar. Having claimed her 20^th win, she now holds a great international world record. Saturday, of course, was not just about Black Caviar: it was also about the South Australian community rekindling its love affair with racing, and that was a great thing. It was the biggest crowd at Morphettville since they say 50,000 attended to watch Peerless Fox win the Adelaide Cup for the second time in a row in 1951. I wasn't there, but I heard it was a great day. The event was magnificently organised by the SAJC, with praise coming from many who attended. There was a great spirit. I am told that everybody on the trams was in a very festive mood. In fact, speaking of trams, we moved 82 tram services and about 6,500 people to and from the racecourse. There was free public transport, with an estimated 33 per cent of people taking up that option, so that was an fantastic thing. Shuttle buses operated from the city. The racecourse carried over 3,200 passengers from Oaklands Park to the racecourse. Two taxi ranks operated near the racecourse, including the longest taxi rank ever in Adelaide's history, I am told—perhaps. There were 600 taxis dropping off and picking up in excess of 1,400 people. Extra public transport services were provided, and they were such a success that similar arrangements will be used on 12 May for the Goodwood races and Black Caviar's attempt to win 21 out of 21. I would like to thank everybody involved in making last Saturday a great success—our police and public transport personnel. I would like to thank minister Gago and the other ministers who came together to try to make sure this moved smoothly. I would like to thank Brenton Wilkinson, who did the great job of attracting this mare. In particular, I would like to acknowledge the owners. They are lovely people. They could have sold this race to the highest bidder. They chose to do the right thing and bring her here to South Australia because they have a respect for the fact that they have a horse that is regarded as not only their property but the property of the whole of Australia. I want to thank them and acknowledge their generosity in sharing Black Caviar with the South Australian community and putting us on the map. It was great to put us on the map. I was even able to slip in the fact that Kangaroo Island is a great tourist destination and, no, I did not receive $750 for it. It was completely gratis, but it was a great opportunity to showcase our state to the nation and to the world.