Illuminate Adelaide

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta) (14:57): I would like to ask a supplementary. I thank the minister for that answer and her support for Illuminate this year and next year. Will the government, potentially through the South Australian Tourism Commission, now enter into discussions about the next funding agreement following next year's Illuminate to ensure that we can keep this festival in South Australia into the future?

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:58): I thank you for your enthusiasm for Illuminate and note that your government did a three-year agreement and, when the time comes, we will continue to talk to them about that.

We are a partner with Illuminate; it is not an SATC managed event. It is great talking to Lee Cumberlidge and Rachael Azzopardi, who are both South Australians. They have both been overseas and are experts in their areas. They have been in New York presenting lots of different types of art and festivals and have chosen to come back here.

They have launched the Illuminate foundation, a not-for-profit foundation, because they think that we are the festival state and that we do things exceptionally well here. When we consider Illuminate, I recognise that the previous government brought it to South Australia. I thought it was great. Unfortunately, last year it was interrupted by COVID, but we believe that this year we will see the full capacity of Illuminate. I think it will become part and parcel of our winter calendar. That is the intention.

We are having fantastic occupancy rates in our hotels at the moment, but we want to have that the whole year. We want to have a bright CBD and encourage high hotel occupancy—we have nearly 10,000 rooms now—but of course we also want to include our regional areas, and I have detailed that as well. I think that Illuminate is doing well, but we are a partner and it is owned by the Illuminate foundation. I keep talking to them about the skills that we have in South Australia—whether it be art, be it electronics, be it AI—and the capacity for us to see this grow further.

My desire, my aspiration, is for Illuminate to be a must-do for all Australians. for them to come here. Now that our domestic flights are back higher than ever before we know that accessibility is not an issue for people in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to come to Adelaide to see Illuminate. Illuminate is what we have because it talks to the best of what we can do: the science, the tech and their involvement in the space industry. That's just a start. When our studio did that work for NASA and for CERN, they were at the cutting edge of the possibilities that we have.

What is the best way that we can entice South Australian children to look at doing STEAM, as I think it is now: science, tech, engineering, arts, etc.—

The Hon. C.J. Picton: Maths.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: —maths? We show them and we immerse them, and I am particularly excited about Ouchhh because it will be that immersive experience. You will be able to walk in and you will see the technology behind it. If that is not going to inspire someone—

Mr Pederick: Are you going to give them a contract?

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond!

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON: —how else are we going to do that? The other thing I would like to point out about Illuminate is that there are 150 activations and 40 of them are free. Of course, there are ticketed events between Light Creatures, Light Cycles and Ouchhh Studio, but there are 43 events. I am going to say to each and every one of us here, and those listening on live stream: 'Put your coat on, put your scarf on and come to the city in July. It is the place to be.' One of these very exciting things are these lit seesaws, and I think people embrace that.

We have just had Frozen, we know people love the cold and now is the time to see Illuminate—and, yes, it continues.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Many members are seeking the call. Member for Narungga.