Kangaroo Island Tourism Awards

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (15:37): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the Minister for Tourism please update the chamber on some of the stars at the recent Kangaroo Island tourism awards and how they are contributing to a bright tourism future for the island?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:37): I thank the honourable member for his ongoing interest in tourism and especially Kangaroo Island. I was honoured on 15 June to attend and speak at the Kangaroo Island Food, Wine and Tourism Awards. The inaugural event was held in 2016, so it is only the third time it has been held. This year, I think over 100 people came to the Dudley Wines cellar door at Penneshaw. I might add that I had a quick family lunch there during my Christmas holidays. It is a spectacular part of the state and I can recommend the Dudley Wines cellar door to anybody.

The Kangaroo Island Food, Wine and Tourism Awards celebrate the island's world-class food, wine and tourism industries. Kangaroo Island, as members would know, plays a key role in South Australia's tourism industry, offering international, interstate and intrastate visitors a variety of world-class experiences. Amongst the winners, there are a few I should single out. Eliza Sheridan-Turner won Kangaroo Island's Rising Star Award. I think this is fantastic. She is a young and passionate individual who is taking on her family business of Emu Bay Lavender. The prize is that she will get to spend a week at Southern Ocean Lodge, learning from all the people there about world-class tourism and tourism facilities. I think it is a wonderful thing where the locals are supporting each other, giving them an opportunity to increase their skills.

Another winner was Wandering Souls, which won the best new tourism business. They set up a canvas tent, a glamping experience, like I have never seen before. This tent was almost like a palace, Mr President. They are all over the island so that visitors can immerse themselves in a whole new level of nature, but in comfort.

Mr Craig Wickham was awarded the Outstanding Contribution by an Individual, and it is impressive to see how much he has offered to the KI tourism industry and helped the island flourish as a tourism destination. He is doing a lot of work overseas to raise the island's profile, and it was a pleasure to see him win that award.

The Kangaroo Island dining award also went to the Mercure Kangaroo Island Lodge. I made sure that the next time I was there—which was only last week for the Kangaroo Island Tourism Industry workshop 'Meet the Minister'—I stayed at the Mercure and enjoyed a very pleasant meal. I can understand why they won the Kangaroo Island dining award.

There were also a host of other operators who won awards for their work: Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery, Dudley Wines cellar door, Table 88, Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari, Kangaroo Island Free Range Eggs and False Cape Wines. Our latest visitor numbers show that Kangaroo Island remains a strong destination of choice, with the region welcoming some 148,000 international and domestic visitors. Importantly, these visitors injected $123 million into the local economy, supporting local businesses and jobs.

The awards night acknowledged all the hard work and passion behind these statistics. I am really encouraged to see the next generation, a new generation of island people, stepping up to the plate and taking the industry's future very seriously. It was great to see a lot of young people participating in the awards, and young business owners.

Likewise, the island's stalwarts have been enthusiastically mentoring the new generation of business owners. Kangaroo Island has a great tourism future and great community fabric. I will be very excited to see the emerging tourism offerings next year. Incidentally, they had a quiz on the night of questions that the participants had to answer. There were 15 really tough questions about Kangaroo Island tourism. I thought I would be a generous minister, and I said that for the winner I would—

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order.

The PRESIDENT: Yes, Leader of the Opposition. Sit down, the Hon. Mr Ridgway, there is a point of order.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The Hon. Dennis Hood asked a very specific question about awards; it had nothing to do with quizzes. I appreciate that you gave the minister a lot of latitude last time, but it was a question that the Hon. John Dawkins wouldn't tolerate an answer this long to, and I don't think we should put up with it either.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I have only about 15 seconds to go.

The PRESIDENT: I am going to uphold the point of order.