Tourism Infrastructure

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (14:29): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister provide an update to the council about the Marshall Liberal government's investment in tourism infrastructure?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:29): I thank the honourable member for his question. As I have discussed previously in this place, tourism is one of our government's key priority growth sectors and we are investing in many different ways to ensure the visitor economy continues to grow. One of these ways is through infrastructure. We are investing in infrastructure, unlocking our regions, bringing more people to our amazing state and maximising the potential of our tourism assets.

The first one I would like to mention is the Granite Island causeway. As part of the 2019-20 state budget, the government committed an initial $20 million towards securing the future of the Granite Island causeway. The Granite Island causeway is an iconic heritage landmark with significant tourism value. It is the jewel in the Fleurieu Peninsula's crown, and the Marshall Liberal government is investing in the future of Fleurieu tourism.

Another important investment initiative is the Port Wakefield overpass. The government has invested $90 million towards the Port Wakefield overpass and the highway duplication project. This will unlock the entire Yorke Peninsula region for further visitors to the area, boosting the local economy and creating jobs. Queueing up to get away on a long weekend will be a thing of the past, queueing to get home on a long weekend will be a thing of the past and it will allow more intrastate visits to the region. It will also unlock investment and allow the private sector to get back to Adelaide more quickly, or back to Yorke Peninsula. It is a benefit not only to the tourism sector but to the broader economy.

We have also invested in the Penola bypass, a project that aims to take the heavy freight right out of the Penola township, take it away from the township and allow that area to benefit from a greater visitor experience.

Of course, in recent days we have had some great news around the investment that the government has made in Memorial Drive. We have invested $10 million to construct a canopy over the centre court. The redevelopment has just been completed, and we will be hosting the Adelaide International event for the first time in January. As we all know, there are some wonderful great names coming: Ash Barty, the world number one; Simona Halep; Alex de Minaur; and legends of the game such as Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams. The people of Adelaide are very excited about coming to see those wonderful world-class tennis players. It is something we have been missing for well over a decade, since the former government lost the women's event to Brisbane.

The state government has partnered with the federal government to provide $15.8 million to the Monarto Safari Park towards the development of the new state-of-the-art visitor centre. This will complement the $40 million of private investment into Monarto for a five-star resort and luxury glamping facilities. The Monarto Safari Park will offer tourists the closest thing to an African safari on this side of the Indian Ocean.

It is a truly remarkable asset, and I think it is something we should all go and enjoy. This investment is just one example of the private sector showing confidence in our government and our state. Since coming to government, we have seen more than half a billion dollars in private investment in hotel builds across the state. It is fantastic to see it. I am looking forward to the openings of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, the Adelaide SkyCity Hotel, the Sofitel Hotel and, of course, the Monarto hotel, in 2020.