VAILO Adelaide 500

Mrs PEARCE (King) (15:42): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer update the house on the 2023 VAILO Adelaide 500?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer) (15:42): Indeed I can. It gives me great pleasure to update the house on the success of the VAILO Adelaide 500, which was held in Adelaide over this weekend just passed.

In fact, last night I was fortunate enough to represent the government at the Supercars Championship Gala Awards. Now that the race has been returned to South Australia and is now held as the last rounds of the championship season, the gala awards dinner is now held in Adelaide as well. It is attended, of course, by drivers and their teams, by sponsors, by team members, as well as by other supporters of this major sporting code in our country.

Last night, the VAILO Adelaide 500 was voted the best V8 Supercars event of the year. That is the second time in a row it has won that event. Just think, you've got—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: —Bathurst, you've got the Gold Coast rounds, yet Adelaide stands proud and tall above all other events at hosting a V8 supercars event better than anywhere else in the country. It was an extraordinary weekend—260,700 attendees, just absolutely extraordinary—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: There was one notable absentee, of course, who didn't go—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Morphett, you are warned.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: I saw former Premier Brown there and former Premier Olsen there.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Newland!

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: I saw former Premier Kerin there. Who was missing?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Treasurer, there is a point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Elder is warned for a second time. Member for Chaffey, you are on a final warning. Member for Hartley, order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: I will take 98, sir.

The SPEAKER: Very well.

Mr Whetstone: Did anyone buy a ticket? Anyone?

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is on a final warning.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Treasurer, please be seated. The member for Florey and the member for Chaffey, who continue to interject, will depart under 137A for the remainder of question time. The member for Elder and the member for Newland are on a final warning.

The honourable members for Chaffey and Florey having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Remember that last year the return of the event injected $53 million into the state's economy. There are some who believe that cancelling this event and replacing it with Barossa Contemporary: Festival for the Curious was in the state's best interests, but as we now have seen two years in a row the Adelaide 500 is not only the premier supercars event in the nation but it delivers a massive economic benefit.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: This year there were some particular additions which caught the attention of fans and attendees. Not only was the championship won in the last round by Brodie Kostecki but also we had a former rookie win their first supercars race on the Sunday. We had the global phenomenon of Dave Kindig from Kindig customs come and make his first trip to Australia to come and judge the best customer-modified cars in the Kindig custom pavilion. And what about the F-35? That was absolutely extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Did everyone like them?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Everybody thought it was the most stunning and impressive display of defence hardware they have seen in South Australia. It was universally welcomed. It was absolutely fantastic. To see that Royal Australian Air Force jet fly over twice in the middle of the day on the weekend was absolutely fantastic and embraced by everyone, I am sure, including all those opposite—except, of course, the member for Dunstan.