Regional Events and Festivals Program

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Tourism. What assistance is the state government providing to help attract tourists to regional events and festivals?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (15:00): I thank the member for Kaurna for the question and acknowledge his interest in events in his part of the world—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader will withdraw under the standing order for the remainder of question time.

The honourable member for Bragg having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: Minister.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Once again, I thank the member for Kaurna for the question and acknowledge his strong interest in events in his part of the world down there and along the coastline and metropolitan part of the Fleurieu Peninsula and, in particular, the Beachside Food and Wine Festival at Christies Beach, which the government is very proud and happy to support.

The state government knows the importance of attracting tourists to regional communities, and events are a huge driving force for tourists in their decision-making and have long played an important role in our state's tourism industry. Today, I am pleased to announce South Australian events have been given a major financial boost through a program designed to drive more visitors to the state's regions.

A total of 30 events and festivals from across South Australia have received a share of $300,000 as recipients of funding through the state government's 2015-16 Regional Events and Festivals Program. Events help to celebrate the vibrancy and creativity of South Australia and are significant to the sense of pride in our state. As the demand for Adelaide and South Australia as tourism destinations grow, we need to ensure we are driving this demand and continuing to move forward with the foundations we have already laid.

Events and festivals inject millions of dollars into local economies and, on the larger scale, I guess we can look back at last week's match with Liverpool, with 10,000 visitors from interstate and overseas injecting about $10 million into our economy. It is the reason we have injected a further $35 million into tourism in our recent state budget, and we want to continue to spend more money on attracting festivals and events and also to market South Australia interstate and, of course, internationally.

The Regional Events and Festivals Program assists events which generate a significant increase in visitors to South Australia. Support is provided for marketing activities to increase each event's profile and help generate an increase in tourism activity. The program includes the Community Events Development Fund, which provides grants of up to $5,000 to smaller community-based events which have the potential to grow into a larger regional tourism event.

I know, looking at some of the recipients from previous years, groups have done a tremendous job. I remember the rose festival at Renmark. They used the money last year to do some advertising across the border in Victoria, to bring people across the border into our state and spend money in our economy. A little bit of money goes a long way sometimes with these events and really helps the events and, often, the volunteers who run those events to get a foothold and to grow visitation.

The events and festivals to receive funding in this financial year are the 18-hour Melrose mountain bike event in the Flinders Ranges, the Kangaroo Island marathon (Kangaroo Island has done pretty well) and the Lower Lakes Stockman's Challenge on the Fleurieu Peninsula. That is for anyone who wants to get down there and see a bit of whip work, bareback riding and stuff like that. I am sure Gunny is probably going to be down there.

The Bay to Birdwood, of course, is from the metropolitan area up into the Adelaide Hills. The Ceduna Oysterfest is a terrific event, usually held at the end of September each year. The Coonawarra Cabernet Celebrations are held on the Limestone Coast, and I know the member for Mount Gambier dropped in and we had a cabernet sauvignon down there during last year's celebrations. The Renmark Rose Festival—

An honourable member: What about a malbec?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: No, it was a cab sav. The Renmark Rose Festival is up again for some more money, so the member for Chaffey will be happy with that. The Gorgeous Festival down at McLaren Vale and the Bay Sheffield, of course, are fantastic events; last year that young Tasmanian athlete participated and that drew a lot of attention as well. There is also Crush in the Adelaide Hills, the Tunarama Festival over in Port Lincoln, the Glenelg Triathlon, the Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival, the Queen of the Desert up in the Flinders Ranges, in the outback again, and the Blenheimfest in the Clare Valley.

There is the Cadell Harvest Festival in the Riverland, and the member for Stuart is a big fan of the Cadell community and a strong advocate for them of course, and we have announced the Beachside Food and Wine Festival at Christies Beach. There is the Yorke Peninsula Saltwater Classic, so well done, member for Goyder; the South Australian Masters Games in the Murray River Lakes and Coorong area; the FloatFest in the Murray River Lakes and Coorong again, and the GREAT Breakaways Marathon in the Flinders Ranges and outback.

There is also the Kangaroo Island FEASTival, the Clare Valley Gourmet Festival, the Penola Coonawarra Arts, the Melrose Fat Tyre Festival, Port Augusta Cup Day, and the Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival, which was a huge success just a few weeks ago. In the Adelaide Hills, there is the Winter Reds festival, and the South Australian Living Artists Festival, which is a statewide one so everyone is a winner on that one—I feel like Oprah Winfrey: you get a car, you get a car, you get a car—and the Barossa Gourmet Weekend, so very good news for the member for Schubert.