Cats, The Musical

Ms REDMOND (Heysen) (14:16): Supplementary, please, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Supplementary, member for Heysen.

Ms REDMOND: Could the Minister for Tourism inform the house how many tickets have been sold to tomorrow night's performance of Cats at the Festival Theatre and its impact on tourism in South Australia?

The SPEAKER: The cultural attaché.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:17): Indeed; thank you very much; minister for the 'yarts'. I haven't got the exact number, but I can say I was there on Sunday night, and I do know and I can confirm, I presume—

The Hon. J.R. Rau interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: No, nothing happened with Mr Mistoffelees, I can assure the Deputy Premier. The Adelaide Festival Centre does have I think more visitors or more attendances through the year than the Adelaide Oval, but of course it's operating far more nights than the Adelaide Oval. Of course, it's an enormous success, and Cats has been a fabulous production. I don't know if the member for Heysen—

Ms Sanderson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Adelaide is called to order.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I don't know if the member for Heysen was there, and I'm presuming she was, but it was a packed house and it's gone very, very well. Of course, the arts are an incredibly important part of our state economy. The government has made it a particular priority. I know that the Treasurer shares my enthusiasm and the government's enthusiasm for the arts, because they do of course create jobs, and we certainly welcome the wonderful work that Douglas Gautier has done at the Adelaide Festival Centre. I know that this will be the first of many fantastic productions that will be on at that centre.