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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-06-19 Daily Xml
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Commonwealth Games

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (14:56): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Will the minister update the house on plans for South Australia to bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:56): I thank the member for Morphett for his question and note that he is a very keen sportsperson who, no doubt, would love to see beach volleyball on the beaches at Glenelg and who would probably no doubt take part in beach volleyball down there at Glenelg.

It is a very good question and an important question. Just to update the house, the Marshall government received correspondence from Commonwealth Games Australia inquiring with regard to the South Australian government's interest in entering into the non-binding dialogue phase to discuss the possibility of a potential Commonwealth Games bid.

The Marshall government has accepted that invitation from Commonwealth Games Australia to participate in this phase. The dialogue phase is a new step in the process allowing all stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and requirements for hosting a future edition of the Commonwealth Games. The dialogue phase allows for high-level consultation between the relevant stakeholders prior to organisations committing substantial resources to feasibility studies and the binding process.

I attended the recent Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and held a number of meetings to further explore what would be required to bid and host the games. As well as that, I wanted to gain a better understanding of the potential benefits for South Australia before any decision is made. It is recognised that potentially hosting a future edition of the Commonwealth Games may have many benefits, but this process is now about weighing up those benefits against the costs.

Over the coming months, we will be developing a better understanding of whether hosting a future edition of the Commonwealth Games represents value for money for South Australia. We won't leave any stone unturned as we look for opportunities to grow our economy, create more jobs and get South Australia's exposure on the national and international stage to another level. Many government agencies will be working together to further investigate and understand their requirements of hosting a future edition of the Commonwealth Games, and I will be the government's primary contact with the Commonwealth Games Association. When I was at the Gold Coast, New South Wales, WA and regional Victoria were also fishing around.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: We get some squibbling and squabbling from the other side of the chamber. When I first came into this job, I did ask what work had been done as far as establishing a bid for the Commonwealth Games, what background work had been done and, sadly, nothing. On that side of the chamber, nothing had been done. So, whilst we have an opportunity before us, we have been left with a very short time frame to turn this around.

That is not to say that on this side of the chamber we won't be working hard to explore every opportunity and give South Australia the best chance, but it is disappointing to see how little work had been done from the other side when they were in government. There was a very poor desktop audit of infrastructure done, a very old audit. That was about it, really—very disappointing. Again, we will be working hard. We will be having a look at what opportunities there are and making sure we weigh up what the best outcome is for South Australia. We know in the process—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —Durban were set to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and that didn't happen.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: They have stepped aside; Birmingham has stepped in. We have 2026 and potentially 2030 on the table for discussion. Canada has a centenary in 2030, so they really have got that one pencilled in, I think, so 2026 is the opportunity. I said it's a tight turnaround, but that's not to say we shouldn't be looking at every opportunity because, on this side of the house, that's what we're focused on. We are focused on delivering for South Australia. We are focused on more jobs, we are focused on better services and we are focused on lowering costs for South Australians.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: If we can make the numbers add up—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: If this stacks up for South Australia, we will be exploring every opportunity to make it happen. Sadly, again, on that side of the house they did nothing when it came to furthering South Australia's opportunity. We will be doing everything we can and look forward to exploring the opportunity in full.

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens will be heard in silence.

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