QANTAS

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:00): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Tourism a question regarding tourism funding from Qantas.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: I note with interest a report today stating that Qantas has dumped its 40-year partnership with the federal government's tourism body. I have since heard, before question time, that Qantas has clarified that it has suspended the partnership, not abandoned it. Still, I note with great interest that Qantas now wants to engage with state-based tourism bodies rather than with the federal body.

Qantas has cited a conflict of interest between the federal body's chief (its former CEO) and itself as the reason for dropping the $50 million marketing deal. One of the objections Qantas cited in the article is the allegation that its former CEO was 'trying to stymie the Qantas deal with Middle East carrier Emirates Airlines'. I note that as of the start of this month Emirates began flying an Adelaide to Dubai route, with four flights a week. My questions are:

1. Was the minister aware of conflict with Tourism Australia that might have put at risk the Qantas-Emirates arrangements?

2. Does this dispute put at risk further expansion of Emirates flights into Adelaide?

3. Has, or will, the minister approach Qantas to open a dialogue about direct funding, or will the government take a 'wait and see' approach for this opportunity?

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) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his important question. The answer to his last question is: not on your nelly! The first thing I did this morning was put through a call to encourage the SATC to immediately start a dialogue with Qantas, and I had a number of suggestions that they might want to begin to look at. I encouraged them to put forward others as well.

It was with great interest that I read in today's papers of the suspension of the Qantas sponsorship for Tourism Australia, a federal body. That was the first I was aware of any tension between the two, and I was quite surprised to read about it. I am sure that minister Martin Ferguson will be pursuing that in order to resolve those issues; I have not had a chance to discuss it with him yet, but I imagine that is what he would be doing. In the meantime, as I said, the first thing I did, as soon as I read that in the papers this morning, was ask the agency to commence a dialogue as soon as possible.