Tour Down Under

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:04): Only as a result of that response.

The PRESIDENT: No, that's not the correct one.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: Out of that answer.

The PRESIDENT: Out of the original answer.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: Yes, it is. He mentioned that he has actually sought the opinion of another team owner. Will the minister now seek the opinion of the owners of all the other teams about whether they think it's an appropriate appointment? Why just, I believe it is, the Green Edge team?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:05): It's actually the Mitchelton-Scott team now. It was Green Edge when maybe Mr Pangallo was paying attention a few years ago. It is now the Mitchelton-Scott team. It's the only Australian team. All the other teams are internationally owned. It's about this iconic Australian event. There is a massive network of people in the global cycling family. I am sure that there would be a range of people who were spoken to. I know that Gerry Ryan, owner of the Mitchelton-Scott team, is particularly comfortable. It's an Australian-owned team. It's the only one. I think they spend about $40 million a year on that team. It's a great team that promotes Australia and Australian cycling.