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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-05-26 Daily Xml
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HISTORY WEEK

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:40): My question is to the Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts. What is new about History Week this year and why is it such a popular community event throughout the state?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:41): I thank the member for Mawson for asking this question and I acknowledge that he is a history-maker himself, and his most recent election result was an outstanding example of making history. The deputy leader of the opposition made some history himself winning the position as deputy leader from the lowest possible vote ever received by anybody standing for that position, but that's another matter altogether.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: And he'll soon be history.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: And he soon will. SA History Week 2010 is a long 10-day week; it started on Friday 21 May and it continues until Sunday 30 May. An estimated 60,000 people took part in the program last year and it is anticipated that more will take part in this program this year which is a significantly bigger program. SA History Week continues to grow in size and popularity and, as South Australia's history festival, it is now firmly in the state's cultural calendar. This year's program includes 405 events—an increase of 68 from last year—that have been coordinated by 294 different organisations across South Australia, many of which are run entirely by volunteers. I pay tribute not only to the paid staff but also the many volunteers.

The Hon. K.O. Foley interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: The Deputy Premier advises me that he participated last Sunday by launching History Week for the tram museum.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: He drove the tram.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: He drove a tram? Over the course of the 10-day week, there are literally hundreds of events offered every day in South Australia. History Week 2010 includes theatre performances, dances, walking tours, film screenings, public lectures, displays and bus tours. People can explore Adelaide Gaol, peep into the past at the Willunga Courthouse Museum in the member for Mawson's electorate and take a tour of Adelaide Town Hall and both the Council Chamber and the Queen Adelaide Room.

The 2010 program more strongly reflects South Australia's cultural diversity than in previous years, as a number of Indigenous groups are offering events related to Indigenous history in this state as well. At the Cooinda Club in Port Augusta, in the member for Stuart's electorate, the Yura Language Group has a display celebrating Aboriginal history, and I hope the member is able to get along to that.

Most of the events offered in History Week are free or ask for a gold coin donation; this is to encourage participation across a wide cross-section of the community. The 2010 program takes place right across South Australia from regional areas to towns and cities and remote South Australia. The 2010 program booklet has been organised by region to help visitors locate events in their local area or other places of interest.

The event organisers in 2010 include major cultural institutions, local museums, historical societies, businesses, heritage-listed sites, archives, churches, libraries, local government, universities, schools, gardens, and cultural and community groups. Twenty thousand copies of the SA History Week program have been distributed to libraries, councils, visitor information centres, community groups and museums right across the state.

The Hon. M.J. Atkinson: An outstanding production.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: It is an outstanding production, as the member for Croydon says. For the first time SA History Week also has a dedicated website (www.historyweek.sa.gov.au) where visitors can search the full program online and find events in their local communities. The website includes full event descriptions, images, maps, contact and booking information, and a whole range of other things. Online visitors can also subscribe to receive the latest History Week news or follow the event on Facebook and Twitter. The website has already proved enormously popular with almost 3,000 visitors since it went live in late April.

Sponsors of History Week—and I pay tribute to them—not only include the government, of course, but also the Adelaide City Council, the University of Adelaide and AGL; and media partners of the Messenger News and 891 ABC Adelaide. I thank the sponsors and the media for their great support.

The government and History SA are delighted with the ongoing and growing success of History Week. Each year more South Australians and visitors to our state take advantage of the opportunity to engage with South Australia's rich and diverse history. I will add just a note of history: History SA is now the name of the organisation which used to be known as the history trust, which was established by former minister for the arts in South Australia, Murray Hill, some years ago—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —and chaired capably by Phil Broderick, a well-known lawyer in South Australia. I also congratulate Margaret Anderson, the chief executive, and her team for the great job they do.

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