Adelaide Fringe Festival

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:07): My question is to the Treasurer. Last year, we celebrated 60 years of the Fringe—in fact, earlier this year, but under COVID it seems so much longer. I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Treasurer on the topic of the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: This year we celebrated 60 years of the Adelaide Fringe, an extraordinary event, world-renowned and the biggest open access arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. Today, they have released figures that show that for every dollar of government investment, $18 comes back to our state. My question to the Treasurer is: what support will he give the Adelaide Fringe Festival to live to see not just its 61^st year but, through this COVID pandemic, to celebrate another 60 years?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:08): The Hon. Tammy Franks is very astute because the one minister that she would ask a question of in relation to artistic endeavours would be me as the Treasurer, because she knows I am a fierce advocate for anything to do with artistic endeavours in this state and a massive supporter of our Premier, who is a great lover of the arts, in anything that he wishes to do within the broader arts fraternity.

The Hon. T.A. Franks: If it was a horse race and it was 18 to 1, you would possibly take this bet.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Franks, don't interject.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: I hear those figures from a number of initiatives within the arts and indeed in the tourism sector. My colleague the Hon. Mr Ridgway regales all of us with impressive figures of for each dollar invested in tourism, for example, the massive returns to the state and in particular in relation to I think the events sector and the convention sector in relation to the tourism industry.

The state government, to be fair, going back decades, I think under Liberal and Labor governments, have always been strong supporters of the Fringe and the extent of that investment has grown under Labor and Liberal governments over that period of time. I can't indicate how much the original investment that the government has had into the Fringe, but I know it is a considerable investment into the Fringe at the moment.

I'm sure, with the fierce advocacy of the Premier, it will continue to grow stronger and stronger. In relation to any specific details about further initiatives that our visionary Premier might have in relation to the future of the Fringe, I will seek advice from the Premier. If there is anything further that he likes to add to my comprehensive answer to this particular question, I will bring an answer back, but if he thinks that I have more than adequately covered his passion for this particular event, I won't bring anything further back.