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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-15 Daily Xml
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BAROSSA WINE TRAIN

Mr VENNING (Schubert) (12:15): I move:

That this house—

(a) directs the government to investigate and report to parliament on the business case of the reintroduction of the Barossa Wine Train; and

(b) condemns the Labor government for failing to examine options to support the train to run again.

Every time I raise this matter in the house there is a collective groan from the other side of the chamber, and even from my side there is an occasional, 'Oh, not again.' It has been going on for some time, and the member for Croydon, sitting alongside me, is totally overwhelmed by this. One way to silence me on this matter forever would be for the government to support the wine train and to enable it to run again. I cannot understand its lack of desire and commitment.

With the popularity of the cruise ships coming to South Australia today, the wine train is the obvious way to collect tourists on the wharf and deliver them back safely at the end of the day, irrespective of their activity during the day. The Barossa Wine Train was launched in May 1998 by the previous Liberal Government under the then minister, the Hon. Diana Laidlaw. The wine train was instrumental in providing transport for tourists and was a unique experience from Adelaide to the Barossa Valley, and it was very popular.

The Barossa Wine Train consisted of three carriages, the historic Bluebirds that we all know (I went to school on them), which were built in South Australia and are still in very good condition, of high quality and in excellent mechanical running order. The wine train operated between 1998 and 2003, performing three scheduled trips a week, plus private charters—I hired the train for interstate MPs, and it was a great day out—and many other special event trips that were well patronised. On average 10,000 to 13,000 people travelled on the train each year—70,000 passengers in total.

The train received great press coverage locally and nationally, both in newspapers and on travel television shows, and it was reported that the train injected $20 million into the economy every year. It is still appearing on national TV, even though it has not run for all these years. It is still pushed on interstate and overseas travelogues as an experience to enjoy. I have had several people ring up, quite upset to find that the train has not run since 2003.

In 2002 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II travelled on the wine train, which assisted to raise the profile of the train and increase its popularity. Unfortunately, significant events caused a downturn in tourism, particularly, as we know, September 11, the terrorist attacks, SARS, the outbreak of bird flu and the Bali bombings, as well as escalating public liability insurance, which forced the train off the rails in 2003.

The wine train was later purchased privately in 2006 by Mr John Geber and a partner. Mr Geber and I have lobbied the government to provide assistance, primarily with the cost of accreditation and compliance, given the huge tourism benefits the train would bring to the state. Mr Geber purchased the train outright and is only asking for assistance primarily with the costs associated with accreditation and compliance and not with the costs he would incur for acquiring the asset or for its day-to-day running.

In the past 12 months representations have been made to the Minister for Tourism (Hon. John Rau) and the then chief executive of the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC), Mr Ian Darbyshire, seeking funding assistance with accreditation costs to enable the train to run again. The Premier's office has also been contacted, but referred the matter back to various relevant ministers. Mr Darbyshire's advocacy for the project was very much appreciated. He met with Mr Geber and I on a number of occasions and his removal as chief executive of the Tourism Commission is a great loss for our state. Unfortunately, given the financial constraints the government placed on the budget Mr Darbyshire was given to work with, he was unable to offer much assistance directly from SATC.

In 2010-11, SATC did offer up to $50,000 in support, but only once the train was again operational, so here we were, chasing our tail again. Due to a lack of government support and financial assistance, Mr Geber is considering selling the train to overseas interests. A measly $200,000 would cover the costs associated with accreditation and compliance, and the use of the TransAdelaide line from Adelaide to Gawler at no cost would assist when the train became operational.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: You could do that, Ivan.

Mr VENNING: There is such a thing as conflict of interest. It has been considered. I cannot understand the government's reluctance to support what was an extremely successful tourism enterprise.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I remind the member for West Torrens that he should refer to members opposite by their seats.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I apologise to the father of the house, and I extend my deepest gratitude for his service.

Mr VENNING: I accept those apologies with great humility. Thank you.

An honourable member: It's not a memorial speech!

Mr VENNING: I am still here. I cannot understand the government's reluctance to support what was an extremely successful tourism enterprise, especially as we have so many cruise ships coming here to South Australia. The train was running at a profit when we had five cruise ships—five! This year we are going to have 21, so I cannot understand why this train is not assisted to get back on the rails. We on this side of the house saw the potential of such an attraction, and in 1998 the Hon. Diana Laidlaw, whom I had a lot of time for then and I still do today—

Ms Chapman: Opened the Tonsley line.

Mr VENNING: —saw that the train came to fruition as a tourism attraction. As the member for Bragg just said, she opened the Tonsley line.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Diana who?

Mr VENNING: Diana Laidlaw. The political will of this government is simply not there. We have seen how much regard it has for tourism. It does not rate it highly enough to even employ a full-time chief executive. No wonder our premier tourist region has slipped—and I hate to admit this, and I hate to even remind anybody—from the second most visited tourist destination in Australia to the seventh. I am sorry to say it is still falling.

I cannot understand why, when the rails are there and used daily to cart stones up and down, we cannot put this train on those rails. It is not as if the timetable prohibits it; even the operator, Genesee & Wyoming, is amenable to discussions on this, but we just do not seem to be able to crack the egg. The situation is desperate. If Mr Geber does not get any assistance from government, the train will be sold to overseas interests and lost, not only to South Australia but to Australia, for ever.

Or even worse than that, sir, as you would know, it will be sold to Genesee & Wyoming, gutted and made into crew vans for freight trains. What a disgrace! That is what is going to happen. Mr Geber has been extremely tolerant and very patient. He has spent the money, and he has been sitting on them. They have been storing these trains at a cost all this time, and we do nothing. It is a disgrace. I cannot understand why the government is so reluctant to provide such a small amount of funding when the economic benefits to the state are so obvious.

I move this motion with the support of my colleagues, and I thank them for that. We in the Liberal Party know the benefits that such an iconic tourism attraction can bring to the state. I congratulate and thank Mr John Geber and his wife, Evelyn, for their huge support of tourism in South Australia. His endeavours need to be recognised and rewarded.

The Labor government appears not to understand the flow-on benefits a small investment would bring, or is just unwilling to support the initiative. All I can do is urge the Premier and the government to act to support the reintroduction of the Barossa wine train before it is too late. I believe we only have weeks, not months, to address this. I think this will probably be the last opportunity that I, or we, have to address this matter to rebirth our lovely wine train. I believe we will never have the opportunity again to get a train that is so suitable and that is iconic to South Australia on the lines again.

I urge the house to support this motion to investigate and report on the business case for the reintroduction of the Barossa Wine Train; that is all I am asking. Have a look at the business case. Surely, you cannot oppose that. This motion condemns the Labor government for failing to examine options to support this train to run again. I put that there because you can amend that. You can delete that and then you can own it. That is why it is there—for no other reason than that you can delete it and you can then have some ownership. I ask the house to support the motion and give tourism a huge boost in South Australia. I ask you to support the motion.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (12:25): Can I just say the member for Schubert is one of my favourite members of this parliament. He is a passionate advocate.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: My most favourite? That would be me. I love the way the member for Schubert drafts his motions. He says:

That this house—

(a) directs the government to investigate and report to parliament on the business case of the reintroduction of the Barossa Wine Train.

He says in his speech, 'Wouldn't that be great? How can we possibly oppose that?' Then he goes on to say, ' and condemns the Labor government for failing to examine options' before the outcome of the motion. God bless the member for Schubert!

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (12:26): I rise in support of the member for Schubert on this and I do so because I know it is a passionate area for him. I have had the opportunity to be in his wonderful electorate twice with him and meet with Mr John Geber, the owner of the Barossa Wine Train. Indeed, what Mr Geber has done for the Barossa is tremendous too. He is very passionate about growing the economy.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Unfortunately, you have both suffered the same fate in the Liberal Party. They don't recognise your talents.

Mr GRIFFITHS: We'll see. The motion is moved with all sincerity though. While the member for West Torrens might critique some of the words the member for Schubert has used, the sincerity behind it is actually an opportunity for positive growth in the state, not just for the Barossa but for the people who come to South Australia as a whole to have an experience that is lost to them at the moment but is there waiting to be reopened.

Yes, an investment will have to take place but, if we cannot get that dollar commitment, there has to be a commitment to an investigation of what the issues involved in it are, what the cost implications might be and whether that can be a private enterprise or government supported in some possible way; but at least the effort has to be made to ensure that it was reviewed.

As it stands at the moment, it will fail, and that will be a great frustration. Mr Geber invested considerable dollars of his own money with a partner not that long ago in the belief that he would be able to have this running again for the benefit of the state. The fact that he has had no-one seemingly with any influence prepared to listen to him and consider what the options are is a great shame.

Mr Venning interjecting:

Mr GRIFFITHS: There are some: the member for Schubert, most importantly, and myself a couple of times. Even with shadow responsibilities that change and different portfolio roles I have had in the past, when I have spoken to Mr Geber, there has been no commitment indeed from me when I had an opportunity to make them, but all I did was say to him that I think the work needs to be done to investigate it, to actually ensure that, if there is a chance, something on this is looked at.

The member for Schubert brings it, appropriately so, to this house. I hope that there is a willingness from members to vote on this one. It is not just a frivolous motion that is here to waste time: it is about an important opportunity to grow the economy of a region of South Australia that is known around the world and, indeed, for all of South Australia to benefit from it. I commend the member for Schubert.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mrs Geraghty.

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