Question Time

TOUR DOWN UNDER

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government, representing the Premier, a question about the Tour Down Under.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: This morning, the Premier released what he claimed were numbers for this year's Tour Down Under. I remind members that the Tour Down Under of course was a Liberal government initiative, along with the very successful Clipsal event we had just this weekend. It is interesting to note, while interjections are coming from the other side, that in nine years there has not been one initiative in relation to sport and major events in this state.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I am being distracted by the interjections, Mr President. The Premier tweeted this morning that the 2011 tour had an economic impact of $43.3 million into our local economy, up from $41.5 million last year. He also claimed that the tour had received the attendance of some 782,300 spectators during the week. My questions to the minister are:

1. As people can simply stand by the roadside and, in some cases, watch the tour going past their farm or their shop, how does the government know the figures were not 782,250 or 782,350? How can the government—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Can I have the clock reset if you are not going to shut them up, please?

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable government members will cease to interject.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Thank you, Mr President. How can the government claim to know the exact figures when no tickets or very few tickets are sold, no attendance register is kept and no mathematical certainty exists?

2. Is the $43.3 million a net economic impact, minus all expenses (like, for example, the expenses incurred for Lance Armstrong) and other costs, or is this a gross economic benefit?

3. Will the government table the full report into the tour's supposed economic impact and the number of visitors, including the report's methodology, its authors, its tables and a statistical margin for error?

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for Gambling) (14:27): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his questions. I will refer to them to the Premier in another place and bring back a response. How extraordinary that the leading question from the opposition is some absurd sort of parlour game about whether the Premier is right precisely about a figure that he gives.

The Tour Down Under is a vital part of the major events in this state. It has had terrific support from this government. This is the mob who continually complain about Lance Armstrong. The Hon. Mr Lucas over there goes through every single detail and dot and comma about what is the cost of Lance Armstrong, and here they are now criticising the economic benefit that this event brings to the state.

I notice when the Leader of the Opposition was asking his question he did not mention Hindmarsh Stadium as one of the great achievements in the sporting field of the previous government. He certainly did not mention, in claiming that this government has had no major initiatives in sport, that we have committed substantial government funds to the Adelaide Oval project. We have cooperated with the parties to try to bring that project to fruition, and progress has been very well advanced.

The Hon. P. Holloway interjecting:

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: My friend the Hon. Mr Holloway points out the aquatic centre at Marion. In marked contrast, the opposition promised this pie-in-the-sky stadium based at the rail yards that was not costed, that was going to have more car parks than Heathrow Airport. It was a complete pipedream. It was going to have a closed roof and then an open roof and then a transparent roof. Who knows what sort of roof it was going to have, because it was never a genuine project or genuine design.

Unlike the honourable members opposite, this government puts its money where its mouth is and we have committed $535 million, from recollection, of government funds to the single most important sports infrastructure project, I would say, probably in this state's history. So what an absurd suggestion that this government has done nothing in relation to sport.

In relation to the figures that were being quoted by the Premier, as I said, I will refer them to him to obtain details. However, as we all know, there are many occasions when estimates are made of the number of people at particular events without every single person necessarily having bought some sort of ticket or filled in a form, or whatever.

Members opposite like to talk about how many people have come to rallies and protests outside Parliament House, but I have never seen any of them walk in here with a pile of statutory declarations from all those attending declaring that they were actually there; instead, they usually go on a projected figure of how many people were there at the time. Of course, the police have great expertise in doing that.

They suggest that this figure has been plucked out of the air or that, because we do not have a photograph of every person who went to the Tour Down Under or a signed form saying they were there, it is somehow not a legitimate figure. This government is proud of the contribution it has made to the Tour Down Under. It is a leading event in this state and one that gets international coverage. All that honourable members opposite can do, again, is carp and whine and try to bring the state down.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Okay, both sides have had their circus for the day.