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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-08-09 Daily Xml
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Sports Museum

Mr WINGARD (Mitchell) (14:32): My question is to the Minister for Sport and Recreation. Can the minister inform the house how much the state government is currently paying to lease a space for the South Australian sports museum, which is yet to open?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (14:32): Thank you very much to the member for that question. I will get the exact figure on how much we are paying on rent, but I must say that this sports museum idea came about—it was Rob Gerard's idea.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Sir, the interjections, as well as being unparliamentary, from the member for Chaffey, just don't make any sense—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —and they are insulting Mr Rob Gerard as well. Rob Gerard has been a big benefactor for sport—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: He's childish, that member for Chaffey—absolutely childish. Mr Rob Gerard, a great benefactor of sport in South Australia over many, many years, came to see me not long after I became sports minister back in 2013. He said that they had hoped to get a sports museum into the brand-new Adelaide Oval, which—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Sir, it's pretty hard to talk when the member for Schubert and the member for Chaffey just don't stop yelling out.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is called to order.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: So Rob Gerard said—

Mr Knoll interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Schubert is warned.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Haven't you done enough damage today?

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is warned.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: So Mr Rob Gerard came to see me and said that they had been unsuccessful in trying to get a sports museum into the new Adelaide Oval and that the SMA, that runs the Adelaide Oval, said that there was no room in there for a sports museum. We had a look out the window of my office. We looked across the road and there, right in front of the InterContinental hotel, was an empty space that had been empty for several years.

I said, 'What about this spot? Why don't we see if that would work?' We went down and worked out who owned it. We worked out some lease conditions, and we offered to pay the lease, but we put it back to Rob Gerard and Sport SA to do the work, to do the fundraising to make sure that they had the money to be able to move in there. I have written to Sport SA and to Rob Gerard to say how disappointed I am that they didn't actually do the fundraising at the start, when they should have, to actually put some money together to be able to move into this place. I think, at last count, they have only raised about $40,000.

Mr Duluk: Did you look at any other venues, or just one?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: So they still haven't moved—

The SPEAKER: The member for Davenport, I call to order.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: —they still haven't moved into what I think was an excellent site for a sports museum. I think our sports stars of the past should have a place where they are recognised, a place where the sports stars of the future, the children of South Australia and visitors to our state, can actually go and have a look at the wonderful achievements and some of the memorabilia that would have been donated by South Australian sports stars.

I think it's a great pity that it's taken so long for Sport SA to actually get in there, into this space that we are paying the rent on, but it's not for want of trying from our point of view. We have written to them several times, asking them to make sure that they will move into the site in front of the InterContinental hotel.

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