GEORGINA HOPE SWIMMERS FOUNDATION AUSTRALIAN AGE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna) (14:45): My question is to the Minister for Tourism. Will the minister provide advice about the 2013 Georgina Hope Swimmers Foundation Australian Age Championships?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:45): I thank the member for Kaurna for his question. I am glad to see him out of the moon boot and back in the pool. I doubt he would be able to keep up with the 12 to 18 year olds who are down at the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre this week. There are 1,425 of them from around Australia, including 80 from 11 swimming clubs here in South Australia, doing battle to gain a place in the Australian team to go to the world titles in Dubai in August.

This is the second time in the past couple of years that we have hosted this event. Of course, after the wonderful aquatic and leisure centre was opened at Marion in 2011 we hosted the age championships for the first time. That was followed by the 2012 Olympic swimming trials, and the world surf rescue championships that were also on last year. Having this pool has really put South Australia back on the world swimming map. For so many years we were the poor relation here in Australia and having this pool has meant that championships of this nature can be held here again.

As I said, there are 1,425 competitors down at Marion this week. There are 10,000 spectators there and 80 per cent of those spectators have come from interstate. I was down there on Monday night to welcome everyone. If you were hiring minibuses in South Australia at the moment, you would be doing very well, because all these teams of course are using the various Avis, Budget and other minibuses to get around. They are here until next Monday, so we have encouraged them when the competition is over to get out and explore South Australia; to go down to see the pandas at the zoo, and for the adults, the parents, to make sure they visit McLaren Vale, the Barossa and the Adelaide Hills and do those great day trips that are around Adelaide. It is fantastic to have them here.

One swimmer has already been to the Olympics and another has been to the Paralympics, but as well as developing these swimmers as the swimming stars of the future, there is also a great economic boost to South Australia. It is estimated that the economic input of having these national age championships here in South Australia will be $3.3 million to the state, which flows on from some information we received the other day from independent research that says the Tour Down Under this year has generated $43.6 million of economic activity.

We had 40,000 visitors from interstate and overseas, so that is a 9.6 per cent increase on the previous year. That is a fantastic result that I am sure people on both sides of the house will welcome. The Events South Australia part of the South Australian Tourism Commission is delivering once again by sponsoring these events and bringing visitors and competitors here to South Australia.