Tourism

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay) (15:26): Of course, it was the Liberal government that came up with the 'old mate' campaign. Not even two years into their term, this campaign was widely panned as offensive, out of touch and not representative of South Australians, and that is exactly what we have with this Marshall Liberal government. The only contribution that the Liberals have been able to make in this portfolio has been to advertise party houses, launch 'old mate' and deliver cuts to tourism. The Marshall Liberal government has turned its back on South Australian tourism. In fact, they are taking tourism backwards, and I will explain why.

Tourism is a supergrowth industry. Since 2013, the growth rate of visitor spend is triple that of our gross state product. Jobs growth in tourism is 15 times greater than the rest of the economy. It is going well nationally, but in South Australia our national share is decreasing. The Tourism Industry Council South Australia recently released their modelling that shows that we are missing out on almost $1 billion a year in economic activity because our national share is slipping. That could have been an additional 5,400 jobs in our state. We need our fair share of tourism.

But the Marshall Liberal government is doing the complete opposite of what needs to be done. More tourism equals more jobs for South Australians. Our state has more than 18,000 tourism-related businesses across the state; they directly employ about 39,000 people in South Australia. But our drop in international tourism numbers is alarming. South Australia gets only $3.50 for every $100 spent by international visitors to Australia and, under this government's watch, international visitor spend is down 5 per cent.

Adelaide's hotel supply is growing rapidly. It is expected that hotel room supply will be increased by 20 per cent by 2021. These hotels need to be occupied with paying customers, otherwise what has been a really positive investment will just dry up and the pipeline, which takes some time, will not be there for the future. The whole tourism sector has been unequivocal: increased government investment in tourism advertising will help boost tourism. Let us remember that the vast majority of tourism operators are small to medium enterprises. They do not have the capacity to launch large-scale advertising campaigns.

What have we seen under this government? It cuts the advertising budget, and now it is at a five-year low. These are savage cuts to tourism: $23 million cut from the South Australian Tourism Commission over five years. They are savage cuts, and these cuts will have direct negative consequences to our visitor economy. That is how short-sighted this government are. They do not see a $1 billion lost opportunity: they just see a $23 million cost saving.

Members interjecting:

The ACTING SPEAKER (Dr Harvey): Order! Member for Ramsay, you have the call.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: If the government are content for their legacy in tourism to be 'old mate', so be it—that is their decision—but we on this side of the chamber want what is best for South Australian jobs. The Minister for Tourism cannot hide from this. He needs to be held responsible.

It was with great concern that I heard the minister's comments on radio yesterday morning. When asked about 'old mate' and his role in it, his answer was, 'I am just a minister.' Unfortunately, whether he likes it or not, he is the minister. He is the minister and part of a government that clearly has no interest in South Australia trying to get its fair share of this supergrowth tourism industry. They are busy patting themselves on the back, largely due to a target set by the previous Labor government.

Time expired.