Adelaide Festivals

Ms COOK (Fisher) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for the Arts. What outcomes have there been for the local arts community from the recent festival season?

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey will depart for the next hour under sessional orders for repeated interjection. It is your question time.

The honourable member for Chaffey having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The cultural attaché.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:01): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I thank the member for Fisher for her question and her interest in the South Australian creative industries. It has been a tremendous four weeks for the arts in South Australia. The Adelaide Festival, with Rachel Healy and Neil Armfield at the helm, increased ticket sales by a staggering 44 per cent, making it the biggest in the Festival's history, and the Adelaide Fringe, under the direction of Heather Croall, is up again around 9 per cent. What was exceptional about both events this year has been the involvement of—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The Leader of the Opposition bags our arts industries. It is not something he takes seriously. He is quite happy to go around and suck up to individual communities and pretend he is somehow interested, but when he comes in here he bags the industry at every opportunity.

Mr GARDNER: Point of order: he is making things up and it is a disgraceful display.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Once again, the Leader of the Opposition can't help himself but attack our hardworking arts industry. He is happy to go around and take the free tickets, but when it actually comes—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: The minister will be seated. Yes, the Minister for Health has entered debate, and he has entered debate because, under repeated warnings from me, the Leader of the Opposition continues to interject at the top of his voice. The member for Morialta will be seated because he also is on two warnings.

Mr GARDNER: Sir, I have another: standing order 127.

The SPEAKER: What is the actual basis of its breach?

Mr GARDNER: The Minister for Health imputes improper motive on members of the opposition when we all know that at the Fringe Club, every night of the Fringe, he was there enjoying it, lapping it up, taking the free tickets, as he accuses others of.