Question Time

TOURISM COMMISSION

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): My question is to the Minister for Tourism regarding another bungle at the Tourism Commission.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: My questions are:

1. Is it a fact that the board of the South Australian Tourism Commission has not—I say again, 'not'—signed off on its current financial year's budget?

2. Is it also a fact that the South Australian Tourism Commission is in such disarray that it will not sign off on its current financial budget until 25 July?

3. As a result of this inexplicable delay, is it a fact that the Tourism Commission is in paralysis, completely moribund, barely twitching? Is it a fact that even the regional chairs' forum, set down for later this week, has been cancelled and cannot meet until August?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The honourable minister should disregard all of the opinion in that question.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:27): I thank the honourable member for his question. The South Australian Tourism Commission, as we know, is an extremely competent and hardworking commission. It is an extremely successful organisation. It runs as a commercial enterprise and at arm's length from government—as it should be—so that it can maximise its commercial opportunities, and it does so very successfully.

I have said in this place before that I had asked the commission to undergo a reform and restructure process given a number of saving commitments that it was required to achieve. I have asked it to undergo that reform and restructuring process, which it has given a commitment to do. I have received progress reports in relation to that, so it is well underway, though it has not yet been completed.

The result of that process is obviously going to impact on the budget. Again, I have received interim reports on the budget development, so those considerations are well underway; but, as I said, there are a number of situations that are in flux, and it is obviously prudent that those matters be addressed prior to that being signed off.

As I have said, each of the commissioners is very competent. They have a wide range of different skill sets, and they bring an enormous breadth and depth of expertise and understanding to the table. They are all extremely hardworking and extremely committed, and they really put in far more work and commitment than is ever acknowledged or appreciated by the opposition in this place, which is a real shame, because they are a real pinnacle in our tourism operations.

As I have said in this place, it is a real shame that we come in here day in, day out and all we see is an opposition that is negative and complaining—an opposition that moans, groans, whinges, whines and carps. They are not satisfied until they have discredited the interests of this state and discredited these important, hardworking and competent bodies. They are not satisfied until they have undermined public confidence in these authorities. I think it is quite a disrespectful thing to do, and it is also a highly irresponsible thing for the opposition to do. We should be talking up this state and those agencies and institutions.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: It's pretty hard to talk it up while you're the minister, Gail.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I don't mind as minister copping it. I will take one on the chin any time—as minister, I am responsible—but what I cannot abide is the snivelling cowardice of an opposition that comes into this place and badmouths and puts down individuals and important and valuable agencies. They put down—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —incredibly committed and hardworking individuals—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: They put those people down, and they put our agencies and institutions down. They do this because they know—

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Stephens should have a look where he is—

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —that these people are not able to come into this place to defend themselves. That is why I think it is irresponsible and the ultimate act of cowardice. If the member wants to have a go at me and criticise me, he can go right ahead; I am more than capable of defending myself. But what I cannot abide is when the opposition comes in here and knocks our really important agencies and also individuals they come in and name in this place, who are unable to defend themselves.

As I have said in this place before, the hard work of our Tourism Commission underpins our state tourism industry. Of course, our tourism industry is basically small and medium-sized businesses, which are highly successful. The work the Tourism Commission does underpins those small and medium-sized businesses, which are often mum-and-dad operators; some are obviously larger than that and more sophisticated organisations. But there are hundreds and hundreds of them, whose livelihood and hard work provide an important economic driver to this state. The work that the South Australian Tourism Commission does to underpin and support that industry is critical.

I have come into this place before and held up our really successful tourism statistics. We have record levels of visitors to South Australia. Our tourism industry is growing, and all we ever hear in this place is the opposition knocking that hard work. To have tourism grow in such hard economic times is a major feat and success. You can't refute the statistics that show that the economic flow and the visitor numbers to this state are growing. Unlike in some other jurisdictions that aren't anywhere near as successful as us, our figures have surpassed many other jurisdictions and, what is more, surpassed the national average on a number of fronts.

Instead of coming in here and acknowledging the hard work that our Tourism Commission achieves and the hard work of our tourism operators out there on the ground, instead of acknowledging the remarkable achievement of this industry during, as I said, some years of incredibly harsh economic times, what we see is the opposition come in here and knock, whinge, whine and carp. It is a disgrace.