Shandong Sports

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Recreation and Sport. Minister, how is the state government working with the Shandong Province on recreation and sport?

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) (14:29): I thank the member for Reynell for the question and acknowledge the great work that she does as parliamentary secretary to the Premier in the area of women's sport—a very, very good job indeed. Thank you, member for Reynell, for that. There is a delegation from Shandong, our sister state, in South Australia at the moment. They arrived this morning. I had a meeting with them.

It is being led by the Hon. Wang Suilian, who is the Vice Governor of Shandong. Among her many responsibilities, sport is one of the portfolios that she is in charge of. The Premier and I in April sat with her at a game of basketball: the 36ers versus Shandong. It was a good win by the 36ers that night, but it followed on from a loss by the Adelaide United team to Shandong here at Hindmarsh back during the Chinese New Year. So, as I explained to the Vice Governor this morning, that was probably the perfect result for our relationship between Shandong and South Australia: it was a win-win result.

They are here to sign some MOUs, and we in fact signed two this morning; one is with the Office for Recreation and Sport and the consul of the Shandong Sports Bureau. The areas of collaboration identified in that MOU are governance, participation, elite sport, youth sport, economic development and higher education. With the Vice Governor, I spoke about the importance of having those relationships between our two states, those that have been going on for 30 years. It just shows that we can do so much across so many different areas.

A second memorandum of understanding was also signed this morning between Mr Keith Bradshaw, the CEO of the South Australian Cricket Association, and Mr Ziu Zhentao, the Director of Shandong Minor Balls Sports Management Centre, the Shandong Cricket Association, to support the growth of cricket in Shandong Province. In September this year, a delegation of 100 people will come from Shandong and return to Adelaide. During that time, two friendly sport matches will be held. A basketball rematch between Shandong High Speed and the Adelaide 36ers will be played on Thursday 7 September and a cricket match between the Shandong Girls' Youth Cricket Team and a South Australian cricket team will be played on Friday 8 September.

At the moment, the delegation is looking at some of our sporting facilities around Adelaide, including the South Australian Sports Institute at Kidman Park. I know that the feedback I have already heard from their visit out there this morning was that they were very impressed with the professionalism that our team, headed by Wes Battams, puts into developing those wonderful athletes that we have in the SASI programs.

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of those athletes, who have made the Australian Olympic team all the very best for Rio in a few weeks time. They will also have a look at the Mile End Athletics Stadium, the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre. They will take a look down at Adelaide Shores and also our major basketball stadium, Titanium Arena. Tonight, I will be hosting the delegation at our wonderful Adelaide Oval.

I have explained to them that there might be two teams out there but that they are only allowed to barrack for one team tonight, and that's the Adelaide Crows against North Melbourne, the Kangaroos. It is going to be terrific to show off Australia's best sporting stadium to these people who have come over here from Shandong and one of two fantastic South Australian AFL teams. I was training them this morning to yell out 'Go Crows.' We will definitely have the Chinese backing the Crows today.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired. Leader.