House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-07-25 Daily Xml

Contents

STUART O'GRADY

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:32): Supplementary, if I may, to the minster: if it's acceptable to release the details of the contract with Stuart O'Grady, why does the government insist on not disclosing the contractual details with Lance Armstrong?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:32): They're two different contracts. The contract—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: It's a serious question.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: It's a serious question and I'll give you a serious answer. Lance Armstrong was contracted to come and ride in the Tour Down Under, to promote the Tour Down Under, to lift media coverage of the Tour Down Under, to increase visitor numbers, and that was achieved. Stuart O'Grady was not ever paid to ride in the Tour Down Under. This was a deal for him to promote South Australia. As one of the best-known South Australians living in Europe, he was paid in an ambassadorial role.

Mr van Holst Pellekaan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Stuart to order.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: What we have, when we get to paying people to take part in a cycling race—and the only person who has ever been paid to take part in the Tour Down Under in its 15-year history is Lance Armstrong—are commercial in confidence arrangements. By showing our hand to other promoters and other people who put on cycling events, we could actually be putting South Australia's hold on the Tour Down Under in jeopardy. We do not want the Tour Down Under to leave South Australia. I think everyone on both sides agrees. The best advice I have got from people who are in and around cycling and promote these sorts of events—

Mr Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Morialta to order.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —is that, if we put that figure out there in the public domain, then that is going to be detrimental to South Australia and the Tour Down Under.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I warn the deputy leader for the second time for forced laughter.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: You're getting warned for laughter.

The SPEAKER: Would the member for Davenport like a question? Would that cheer him up?

The Hon. I.F. Evans: It would.

The SPEAKER: Yes, good.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: Now, sir?

The SPEAKER: Yes, now.