Festivals

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for the Arts. Based on current indications, has the 2016 summer festival season been a success?

The SPEAKER: The cultural attaché.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:55): I thank the member for the question. The short answer is yes. As the Adelaide Festival of Arts—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The philistines opposite, sir, do not appreciate the cultural life of this state, but nonetheless they are going to hear it; they are going to listen to it. As the Adelaide Festival of Arts and the Adelaide Fringe draw to a close this weekend, I am pleased to inform the house that both events are set to record huge audiences.

The Adelaide Fringe under new director Heather Croall has gone gangbusters, with record numbers flocking to the opening parade and other events, including the stunning illuminations that lit up North Terrace for the first two weeks. With over 400 venues and 1,000 events, this year's festival has been the biggest yet.

While there has been some discussion about the size of the Fringe, I am pleased to inform the house they are on track to hit their target of selling 550,000 tickets, indicating that Adelaide crowds are anything but complacent or lazy. That being said, I know the team has taken on board some of the criticism levelled at the Fringe and will strive to find ways to provide more support to venues and artists as it plans for 2017.

Heather, together with her board and Fringe staff, has worked incredibly hard to bring together such a successful event, and I would like to record my thanks and appreciation to them all for their efforts. The Adelaide Festival has gone extremely well with box office targets achieved two weeks before opening night. David Sefton's final year as Festival Director kicked off with a bang with Groupe F at the iconic Adelaide Oval. I am pleased to note that, despite the incredible fireworks display, the grandstand did not catch fire and the scoreboard is still standing. This year, Mr Speaker, I have to say I am very impressed by the number of—

Mr Marshall: Who's your speechwriter?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: You're very angry today, Steven—very, very angry young man. I think it might have something to do with the deputy leader doing her job interview at The Advertiser earlier today. The poor old Leader of the Opposition seems to be a little bit rattled. I have to say that I am very impressed by the number of local artists and arts organisations, like up-and-coming playwright Phillip Kavanagh, Vitalstatistix and Slingsby, who have been programmed in this internationally renowned festival, alongside the likes of Pina Bausch.

The Adelaide Writers' Week, which took over the Pioneer Women's Garden last week, was incredibly successful, and I would like to congratulate the director, Laura Kroetch, on what was an excellent program. As we approach this final weekend and throw WOMADelaide into the mix, there is nowhere in the world you would rather be than here in our festival state. Not only are these events great experiences for South Australians, they are also economically important with around one-third of our audiences coming from interstate and overseas, injecting millions into our state's economy. I encourage all members to get involved with this incredibly unique Adelaide festival season.