House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Major Events Major Events The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL House of Assembly Mawson Major Events The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:28): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier advise the house about the off-field results of the recent major events hosted in South Australia? The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier Major Events The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS (Croydon—Premier) (14:28): Mr Speaker, can I thank the member for Mawson for his question and take the opportunity to thank him for his leadership and advocacy and appreciation of the importance that major events can play in stimulating the South Australian economy, because over the course of the last 12 months the member for Mawson, in conjunction with the SATC led by the Minister for Tourism, has really been kicking some goals on behalf of the South Australian economy in a way that is delivering extraordinary dividends. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Mr Whetstone interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is warned. The Hon. D.G. Pisoni House of Assembly Unley The Hon. D.G. Pisoni: You put her on the bench so you could be on the field! The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Unley! The Premier has the call. Mr Brown interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Florey! Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier has the call. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: We made a commitment to the people of South Australia at the election that we were going to revitalise this state, bring our city alive and give plenty of work to people in the hospitality sector, the accommodation sector and the tourism sector more broadly. They are very grateful indeed that this government is honouring that election commitment because what we have seen over the course of the last few weeks is our state come alive. It has created an extraordinary degree of pride amongst all those people who have been the beneficiaries of that work. We understand that there is a point of difference in this house between those of us who believe in the power of major events to deliver work and those who are opposed to it. We appreciate that the Leader of the Opposition didn't support Gather Round and didn't support LIV Golf, but on this side of the house we get on and deliver. If we just look at a couple of weekends ago, over 70,000 people right across our country— Mr Tarzia interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, member for Hartley! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: —were going to LIV Golf, and a huge success it was. Mr Tarzia interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned. Order! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: It was just in the middle of the city, just 15 kilometres from where we were in the middle of the city, and we saw the equestrian event also delivering yet thousands more people at that activity. Mr Tarzia interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is on a final warning. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: These events haven't just been over the course of that weekend. There was also Gather Round— Mr Patterson interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Morphett! The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: That was an extraordinary success, embraced not just by South Australians but by the whole nation. Those opposite might not be on board with Gather Round yet; they are still working through it. The Leader of the Opposition is still weighing up his mind on whether or not he supports these major events, sniffing the breeze and trying to work out if he is on board or opposed to it. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, member for West Torrens! The Treasurer is called to order. There is a point of order from the member for Morialta, which I will hear. The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER House of Assembly Morialta Deputy Leader of the Opposition The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order, sir: standing order 98 will do. Ms Clancy interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, member for Elder! There is some force in the member for Morialta's submission. Some compare and contrast is possible early in response to the question. I will bring the Premier back to the question. The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: Whether it be enlivenment on The Parade in the member for Dunstan's electorate, whether it be the extraordinary activities in your electorate, sir, in the Adelaide Hills, or whether it be the enlivenment of our city more broadly, an extraordinary amount of economic activity has come to our state. However, it is more than just the tourism dollars; it's also about the investment attraction opportunities that exist in and around these events. We saw the Carlton IN Business function come here and hear about our government's agenda, we saw Lanyon Asset Management establishing their own events, and Morgan Stanley, in association with Business SA, brought a whole range of entrepreneurs to our state to engage with other opportunities that exist economically. These events have power. The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting: The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS House of Assembly Croydon Premier The Hon. P.B. MALINAUSKAS: The golf, the member for Morialta interjects: over 70,000 people were in attendance at that event. Approximately 40 per cent of ticket sales came from interstate or overseas; in fact, there were tickets sold to people in over 65 different countries. There are more events to come. The major events attraction committee has a test match that has been brought to South Australia, between the Hockeyroos and India, in coming weeks, so the major events calendar continues. It is investment that is working, and it is one that has brought this state alive.