Generations in Jazz

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (14:28): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier inform the house how the Generations in Jazz festival is supporting the students and community in Mount Gambier and wider South Australia?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:28): I thank the honourable member for her question. The member for Florey has been one of the stalwart supporters of Generations in Jazz over the whole period of time as the member, going for 18 consecutive years to Generations in Jazz.

Ms Bedford: I missed one.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Missed one year, but been to 18 years. It has been going for about 28 years. It is an extraordinary event, and she has been one of its greatest supporters. She has been urging me to attend and I have never been able to until this year, and I must say that I could not have been more impressed. This is the most extraordinary event, and I would urge anybody in this chamber to take the opportunity to get down there.

I had the great privilege of being there with the Minister for Regional Development and a very proud local member, and I want to thank the member for Mount Gambier for not only his support but also his kind hospitality when we were in the region.

Generations in Jazz has to really be seen to be believed. Something like 3,700 students and another 1,300 people bought tickets, so there were 5,000 people at the concert on Saturday night. They got to see world-class acts. People come from around the world to not only judge these bands—200-odd schools from around Australia—but they also provide instruction and support for these young people.

You are getting, on the strength of James Morrison who is an incredibly generous man who has a particular commitment to education and his particular philosophy of educating people in how to play jazz, a commitment so great that he whistles up all of his mates from around the world from the international jazz community and they fly into Adelaide and go nowhere else—everybody in Sydney and Melbourne are all scratching their heads about why the world has come to Mount Gambier—and you get some incredible acts.

Indeed, James Morrison now lives in Mount Gambier, which is a wonderful thing. To see a group of young people walking down the main street of Mount Gambier, playing their trumpets, their trombones and their saxophones, was quite a sight for the locals and it really lifted the spirit there.

Of course, it has led to something extraordinary. It has led to an academy of jazz, which is hosted by the University of South Australia, which is going to be a 200-person strong academy in due course, although I think they are already talking about expanding it because of the extraordinary national and international support for this effort. It has really put Mount Gambier, which already was famous for its beautiful Blue Lake and now—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It is not so struggling, it is booming, and the member for Mount Gambier and this government share the same view that we want to talk up the South-East and the Mount Gambier region, and we resist anybody who wants to talk down this particular wonderful region of South Australia. South Australia has always been at its strongest when the community works together with government and the private sector and we are seeing this with Generations in Jazz. The inspiration of some incredibly far-sighted entrepreneurs down there in Mount Gambier teaming up with the incredible generosity of James Morrison has created what is a spectacular and world-class event. Mark my words, Mount Gambier will be known as the centre of jazz in this country and, indeed, in many respects, the world.

The SPEAKER: Would the deputy leader like to ask the same question?

Ms CHAPMAN: No, I am happy to move on, sir, thank you.