Tour Down Under

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:34): Supplementary arising from the original answer: can the minister outline the events that he personally attended in the lead-up to the announcement to do with the Tour Down Under?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:34): The events that I have attended in the lead-up to—

The Hon. K.J. Maher: What pre-announcement events have you attended?

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Did you go to the Tour de France, like Leon used to go to?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Yes, that's a good point.

The PRESIDENT: When we have all finished the conversation, I would like to hear from the minister.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: The only cycling event I was invited to—and I declined it because it would have been inappropriate, notwithstanding the former minister's passion for travel—was to the English ambassador's residence in Paris on Sunday. He invited me there to attend that, but I thought, no, it was much better to be out in the regions of South Australia rather than in the middle of Paris. There have been no events that I have attended, except this morning with Mike Turtur—no events that I've attended in the lead-up to the announcement today about the Tour Down Under.