South Australian Tourism Commission

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:27): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment regarding international tourism markets.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.E. HANSON: In the SATC's September edition of Tourism News, the commission noted:

The South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) has recently undertaken a review of operations in our key international markets and has made a decision to suspend its India operations. As a result, we will no longer have a Regional Director for the South East Asia market and Dana Urmonas will be finishing her contract with the SATC, effective September 30.

This year's budget cut for international trade and marketing puts it down from 2017-18 levels of $16.334 million to $14.83 million for 2018-19. My question to the minister is: does the government have any intention to reinstate international marketing to pre-Marshall government levels? Has the SATC made a judgement call that India is no longer a key target market?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:28): I thank the honourable member for his ongoing interest in international tourism and particularly India.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Of course, that's what he is angling for: a trip. India is an interesting market. I would advise members opposite that I travelled there for a week on my own in opposition—no support from government—to have a look at the market and meet some of the operators around tourism and around trade and investment and even things as interesting as blockchain and distributed ledgers. I met with the Bombay Stock Exchange, but that might be too difficult for some of the members opposite to grasp.

The Indian market is interesting. We had a South-East Asian South India representative in Singapore who operated across that area. We believe the Tourism Commission has made a judgement that they are going to dispense with that position. However, we have some other opportunities with our representative in Mumbai.

There was a bit of a database for some opportunities for India and in that region, and I am already having some discussions to see if we can share the database. We now have a new Department for Trade, Tourism and Investment, and people are not as narrowminded or narrowly focused as they were. India will still be an important market for us. We have an inbound trade mission from India in conjunction with the test cricket. We've got a number of people coming, and I expect there will be some really good opportunities.

Of the people I met when I was in India—and I am still in contact with them—there were two young entrepreneurs who play in the Indian wedding market. The Indian wedding market is a massive opportunity for South Australia. You have to understand that Indian weddings—and I have a family wedding in a couple of weeks today, Mr President—

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway, I'm being very tolerant and giving you leeway, but weddings is pushing my tolerance. I am going to allow you to go on, but do not disappoint me.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Indian weddings, Mr President, are a massive—

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: Point of order, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: Yes, the Leader of the Opposition.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: You, sir, very wisely and correctly called him to order about straying well from the subject, and he has deliberately and wilfully disobeyed your ruling—

The PRESIDENT: Sit down!

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: —and I would suggest you don't let him—

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, I am not upholding your point of order with that degree of sanctimony. I am allowing him on a short leash. If he goes too much on weddings, or even strays anywhere near a family member's wedding, he will be sat down.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Mr President, I beg your forgiveness. I do want to quickly explain the Indian weddings are—

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

The PRESIDENT: No, sit! You stand and finish it quickly.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: —a massive tourism opportunity. Indian weddings—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: They don't want to hear the answer, Mr President.

The Hon. J.E. Hanson interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Hanson, is this a supplementary or a point of order?

The Hon. J.E. HANSON: Supplementary, Mr President. I'm taking it the minister has finished.

The PRESIDENT: Well, do so at your own risk. Ask a supplementary.