House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Adelaide Festival Funding Adelaide Festival Funding The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER House of Assembly Morialta Deputy Leader of the Opposition Adelaide Festival Funding The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:08): My question is to the Minister for Arts. Does the minister stand by her words at the launch of the Adelaide Festival program last week? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain. Leave granted. The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER House of Assembly Morialta Deputy Leader of the Opposition The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Last week, at the launch of the program the minister claimed that the Adelaide Festival had the strong support of the Malinauskas Labor government. However, documents released to the opposition under FOI reveal the new operating grant for the Adelaide Festival provided by the new government is nearly $200,000 less than that budgeted last year and $350,000 less than that provided last year. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is called to order. Member for Chaffey! The Hon. A. MICHAELS House of Assembly Enfield Minister for Small and Family Business Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs Minister for Arts The Hon. A. MICHAELS (Enfield—Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Minister for Arts) (15:09): I thank the member for the question. I think what the member is referring to is the efficiency savings that were announced in our first budget. Across the arts portfolio and across government, excluding, I think, health and education, we had quite a modest 2½ per cent efficiency savings that have been rolled out across a number of portfolios. It's substantially less than the Marshall government's first budget, which was 5 per cent efficiency savings across the arts portfolio. So, unless the member is seeking for us to increase our efficiency savings, that's what has been rolled out in our first budget. It's to support what we went to the election with, which was increasing arts funding in a range of ways, including not only Fringe funding, annualising the Film Festival and a whole range of other supports for the arts but also our significant investment in health and education. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order!