Question Time

TASTING AUSTRALIA

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:51): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Tourism a question regarding Tasting Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Since 1997, Ian Parmenter's Consuming Passions company has been engaged with the South Australian Tourism Commission to manage and coordinate one of Australia's major food and wine events, called Tasting Australia. The event has brought together some of the best produce and professionals in the gastronomic industry and showcased them to the industry and to the public. This year's event attracted 100 food and wine media from Sweden, France, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand, the US, Britain and Australia. However, over a year ago, inexplicably, the minister's commission effectively sacked Mr Parmenter despite his extraordinary record in delivering an astonishingly successful event for so many years.

Instead of renewing with Consuming Passions, the Tourism Commission sent out tender documents for the contract to other companies. The minister had no backup plan, and no other companies have been forthcoming. There is no replacement for Consuming Passions, whose company is now planning to run a similar event in Western Australia. Under this minister, we lose and Western Australia wins.

The industry tells us that without Tasting Australia, South Australia is on its way to losing its status as the nation's premier food and wine state. The minister told parliament in May, seven months ago, that the commission was, and I quote her words, 'well down the track of appointing a new director, and the appointment will be announced soon'. The food and wine sector was confident that an announcement would be made at the Australian Food Bloggers Conference held in Adelaide early this month. Sadly, it was not. My questions are:

1. Can the minister guarantee funding for the 2014 event to at least the same level as was provided this year?

2. How does the uncertainty and the minister's inability to name a director help achieve the Labor Party's own food and wine strategy goal that by 2020 South Australia will be recognised as the world's leading food and wine destination?

3. Is it true that South Australia retains the rights to the name 'Tasting Australia' only on a use-it or lose-it basis; that is, unless we have a Tasting Australia event, we will not only lose the event, as we have already, but we will also lose the right to use the name?

4. If as you said on 1 May the commission is well down the track of appointing a new director, how long is this mythical track you are well on the way down, or are you just leading us up the garden path?

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) (14:54): As per usual, the opposition is way off track. As we see time and time again, it has definitely taken the wrong path. What is more, I have already previously answered this question in significant detail. I cannot believe that we have come into this place after being up for a week and this is the leading question, the cutting political edge question coming from the Leader of the Opposition, a repeat question, just a rehash, the same old same old. It is tragic.

As I have said in this place time and time again, the opposition is not fit to be in opposition let alone in government, they are in such a shambles. As they scramble and fight amongst themselves they clearly do not have time to prepare questions for this place. Clearly, they have run out of time to prepare anything, to do any research or work on questions for this place that have any sort of cutting edge or any political relevance. That is okay. If the honourable member wants to waste the time of this place, then I am happy to. Tasting Australia, as I have already explained in this place before in quite some detail—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The only reason he asks the question again and again is because he is not listening. Minister.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Perhaps if you listen to the answer you will not ask the same question again.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: The SATC, as I have said in this place before, owns Tasting Australia; that is theirs. My understanding is that it is their property to use when and how they like. There will be a continuing Tasting Australia. I have already given that commitment in this place before. I believe the next event is due the year after next, and there are funds for that. The opposition comes into this place with misinformation, misleading this place time and time again. Mr Parmenter was not sacked. That is completely misleading this place.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: His contract was terminated in 2011.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: His contract was not terminated. Again, misinformation. Time and time again we see the opposition come into this place with, simply, incorrect information misleading this parliament. He was not sacked and his contract was not terminated. What happened was that he did not apply to renew his contract. It was an open contest and he did not apply. As we see, the opposition comes into this place time and time again with incorrect, misleading information.

The only thing the honourable member got right is that Tasting Australia is a major food and wine event for South Australia. We have so much to be proud of. It is an opportunity for us to showcase our food and wine. As usual, the opposition comes into this place knocking South Australia. All they do is talk down and knock. We have some of the best food and wine products in Australia, in the world, and we should be very proud of those and we will continue showcasing those through our Tasting Australia event, which is planned for the year after next and is budgeted for. So, it is completely dishonest for the Hon. David Ridgway, the Leader of the Opposition, to come into this place and suggest otherwise.

We have a change in director and I have indicated that we are looking to make changes. We are now looking at a change in the model of the event. I have said in this place before that it needs refreshing from time to time. The opposition would have us keep doing the same old thing, year in, year out, over and over, like their in-house fighting. That is how they operate. They like to keep re-hashing the same old fights internally and keep re-electing leaders and deputy leaders. The same old fights go on and on, with the same old conflicts over and over. That is how they operate and that is how they think this government is going to operate, but we do not.

We will have a refreshed and renewed Tasting Australia. It is something that I would expect the opposition, if they had any degree of responsibility, would be talking up. An announcement about that will be made in the fullness of time.