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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-10-19 Daily Xml
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Arts Festivals

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Arts. How is Adelaide securing itself as Australia's festival city?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (14:37): I thank the member for Torrens and acknowledge her keen interest in our creative sector here in South Australia. South Australia prides itself on our wonderful festival culture, with a recent report showing that over 60 per cent of all Australia's festival tickets are sold here in South Australia.

We recently wrapped up the OzAsia Festival which, under the direction of Joseph Mitchell and the team at the Adelaide Festival Centre, has gone from strength to strength. This year saw the introduction of the Good Fortune Markets, the brainchild of the Social Collective, the team behind the Royal Croquet Club and the Alpine Winter Village. Stuart Duckworth and Tom Skipper created an excellent atmosphere at Elder Park and, while the wild weather meant some of the events had to be cancelled, they are to be congratulated on yet another successful festival venue.

This weekend will see the opening of the Feast Festival, complete with the launch of their new venue on Hyde Street. This is Feast's 20th festival and will kick off with Dannii Minogue on Saturday night, followed by two weeks of arts activities and events. As we come to the—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Am I going? I don't know—

Mr Pisoni: I have never seen you there. I have never seen you at a Feast event.

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned for the second and final time.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: My office is a feast festival 365 days of the year, as everyone knows.

The Hon. J.R. Rau: I think the member for Unley is on a float.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Yes, that's right. As we come to the end of 2016, the attention turns to next year, when we will see the return of the Adelaide Fringe and the Adelaide Festival of Arts. Today, the Fringe launched their 2017 poster and it suddenly makes sense why Heather Croall's hair has now turned a tinge of green, with this year's mascot being a green—I am told magical—unicorn. The Fringe artist registrations closed last week, and I understand that they have again exceeded expectations, with a record number of artists registered. The Fringe has also launched its new ticketing system, creating local jobs, and 40 shows are now on sale ahead of the program launch on 2 December.

Finally, the jewel in our Adelaide crown, the Adelaide Festival of Arts will launch its full program next Thursday. I have had a sneak peek, and I can assure the house that they will be blown away when they see what Rachel Healy and Neil Armfield have in store.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: The Fringe is going to Mount Gambier.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The Fringe is also going to Mount Gambier, as the minister for primary industries points out. Their major event, Saul, is, I am told, already close to selling out, with interstate and overseas ticket sales tracking above their expectations. As announced last week, the Festival has also secured the support of a private overseas philanthropist who is making a donation of $150,000. I was pleased to meet with the generous donor and add my support to the Festival while I was in Edinburgh in August.

This support shows the respect that the Adelaide Festival has on an international level and it is a huge coup for everyone involved. We will be on show to the world when Festivals Adelaide hosts delegates from the International Festivals City Network next March, and I know that with the Fringe, the Festival, Writers' Week and WOMAD they will certainly see what makes Adelaide the best festival city in Australia.

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