Rex Airlines

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:36): Supplementary arising from the answer: given that the minister has indicated that he has not sought advice on the impact the reduction of flights will have on the local tourism industry, can he please explain why he has not sought such advice?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:36): The question from the member opposite is bizarre. It stands to reason that it will have an impact: you lose a service, it will have an impact on regional South Australia. I have regular meetings with officials from the SATC. I will be in the Limestone Coast region talking to people. It beggars belief that the member opposite would ask such a question. Of course we know about the impact on tourism—of course there will be an impact on tourism.

There are a range of different people and operators in the tourism sector and in regional South Australia who all have a different view on the impact, but all of them accept that there will be an impact on tourism in the Limestone Coast area. One of the very important reasons that we, in the lead-up to the last election, announced a cycling trail from Adelaide to Melbourne—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Members opposite laugh! Cycling tourism—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The minister is on his feet.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Clearly, members opposite do not see that tourism and cycling tourism are an important part of our state's tourism offering. I remind them that we have the Southern Hemisphere's greatest cycling event here—the Tour Down Under, which was a Liberal event—but you would not want to support that!

We are constantly looking at ways to enhance tourism in our regions, especially in the Limestone Coast. We all acknowledge that there will be an impact on tourism when you lose an air service. It does not matter which country town, which region, or which city, for that matter. The withdrawal of those services always has an impact on tourism.