Question Time

TOURISM COMMISSION

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Tourism a question regarding wild birds worth $6,100.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: The 2012 Strategic Plan Progress Report found the minister is likely to fail to reach her target of a $6.3 billion tourism industry by 2014 which, incidentally, as we know is the election year. To achieve the 2014 milestone, the minister needs to grow tourism by 10 per cent a year. Last year it grew by just 5.3 per cent, barely half the amount needed. In the face of such figures, one of the minister's Tourism Commission officers hopped onto a plane to London, where an attendance was made, on behalf of South Australian taxpayers, to the London Wild Bird Watch consumer show.

It was an exhibition of birdbaths and feeding dishes. Here is what London Wild Bird Watch does. It aims to create (it is worth quoting the actual words in case you think I am making this up) 'a unique blend of "shop, learn and do" for people who enjoy feeding garden birds'. The staffer was able—according to the meeting organisers—to:

…try on and try out footwear, clothing, gadgets, accessories and equipment that is underrepresented or just not available on the average high street.

We sent somebody to London to look at bird feeders and binoculars. My questions are:

1. When can we all expect to reap the many benefits of sending a South Australian public servant on a $6,100 trip to the United Kingdom for the 2012 London Wild Bird Watch consumer show?

2. Where in Adelaide can you try on and try out footwear, clothing, gadgets and accessories that are underrepresented or just not available on the average high street?

3. Maybe the minister can tell us what an average Australian high street is?

4. Why has the minister not yet made the much-awaited announcement that she is planning a similar birdwatching consumer show in South Australia, drawing on the valuable lessons learnt by our now experienced and much travelled public servant?

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 report that, as part of the restructure of the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC), internal controls have been examined and new processes and policies have been implemented in relation to staff travel expenses, which I am advised are already delivering savings. I am advised that last year overseas travel was just under $129,000 and this year overseas travel was round about $100,000, so you can see that already there has been a significant decrease in travel.

Overseas travel is obviously an important component of SATC's business. It is essential for the commission to be able to keep abreast of things, to be creating networks and accessing markets and to be looking at new trends and experiences. These trips also allow for important relationship building with key partners. Fundamentally, decisions about staff travel—who goes where and for what reason—are made internally and they are operational matters.

What the honourable member fails to bring forward—he likes to dwell on the negatives and put everything in a bad light but what he does not do is stand up in this place and acknowledge—the overall growth in tourism here in South Australia over the last 12 months or so. Tourism is growing here in South Australia. Our figures are very good, and I have talked about them before in this place. In spite of a backdrop of very difficult economic times—we have all sorts of problems happening in the United States and Europe, and we have a very high dollar which is having a big impact on international visitors—we have an extremely hardworking and very efficient and effective Tourism Commission that has continued to put in place a number of extremely successful events and forums.

In relation to that, we see that overall our tourism continues to grow, and we know that most of our regions are also benefiting from that growth. We do not hear the Leader of the Opposition standing up in this place talking about those positive things, talking about the positive benefits—the huge economic benefits—that tourism growth has to this state and that, in spite of an extremely difficult climate, we continue to grow.

In terms of our growth targets, we set ourselves targets that we put out in the public arena and that we are publicly accountable for—as open and transparent government—and we are not frightened to develop those targets. We have achieved many of our targets, but certainly not all, and this one is going to be difficult for us to achieve because of the changes in the international markets.

Let's be frank: the opposition never set themselves publicly accountable targets; they never set anything. This government has set its Strategic Plan targets. We have set a series of them whilst we have been in government that we have continued to be accountable for. The opposition, when they were in power for eight years, never set public targets, and were never publicly accountable for meeting those targets, and never reported on them. So I think it is a—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: You should be embarrassed, too. You should be embarrassed that at least this government is prepared to set itself some targets and hold itself publicly accountable and, as I said, we can be very proud of what we have achieved.