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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-13 Daily Xml
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SA Tourism Awards

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (16:02): I would like to talk about the SA Tourism Awards. On Friday night, I had the pleasure of attending the South Australian Tourism Awards, where Riverland tourism operators were recognised across a number of categories. The awards are judged by the South Australian Tourism Industry Council and supported by the South Australian Tourism Commission. Now in its 34th year, the awards celebrate and acknowledge tourism businesses. Ten Riverland organisations attended the awards, joining more than 750 industry representatives and colleagues from around the state. The evening saw three Riverland businesses crowned best in their respective categories.

Rick and Cathy Edmonds, owners of The Frames luxury accommodation in Paringa, were named winners of the Self Contained Accommodation category for the fourth consecutive year, after last year being inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame—a phenomenal feat.

It was a huge achievement for the team from the BIG4 Renmark Riverfront Holiday Park, who took home a trio of awards, winning gold in the inaugural Excellence in Accessible Tourism category, which recognises a tourism product or service that is welcoming for people with disabilities; a bronze in the Caravan and Holiday Parks category; and a huge victory when they were awarded the RAA People's Choice Award for Accommodation.

For the second year in a row, Tony and Susie Sharley of the Murray River Walk received a gold in the Eco Tourism category, an award that recognises ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that foster environmental and cultural understanding. It was a great achievement by a husband and wife team. Our region's tourism body, Destination Riverland, was awarded a silver medal in the category of Destination Marketing, which recognises organisations for their creativity and innovation in fully integrated destination marketing activities, so I say to the local councils, please do not pull your funding on this organisation as they do a great job.

Rob and Jenna Hughes of River Murray Houseboats were also awarded a silver in the highly competitive Unique Accommodation category. This category is open to properties developed around unconventional accommodation infrastructure.

I would also like to congratulate all the Riverland finalists—the 23rd Street Distillery, the Berri Riverside Holiday Park, the Murray River Queen, the Renmark Rose Festival and the Waikerie Golf and Country Club—on a fantastic achievement representing our region. The Qantas Australian Tourism Awards will be held in Tasmania in March 2019, where the Murray River Walk, The Frames and the BIG4 Renmark Riverfront Holiday Park will now go on to represent the Riverland and the state on a national stage.

I would also like to briefly talk about and recognise the Renmark Irrigation Trust's 125th anniversary celebrations. It is an outstanding achievement. I must say that, as a director on the Renmark Irrigation Trust for 14 years, it was an absolute privilege to serve the people of the Riverland irrigation districts. Today, the RIT manages infrastructure that serves over 600 properties of various fruit crops, covering more than 4½ thousand hectares throughout the Renmark district. They also supply non-potable water to the homesteads in the horticulture sector.

The RIT set itself a goal 10 years ago that by 2020 it will be recognised as Australia's leading water resource manager, underpinning the economic and social sustainability of the Renmark community. Earlier this year, the trust became the world's first irrigation area to receive global gold certification against the Alliance for Water Stewardship's international water stewardship standard. It is an outstanding achievement, as it is only the second organisation in the world to be recognised at this level.

The RIT also does guided walking tours of the Renmark Irrigation Trust's historic building and pumping stations, and these will begin later this month, with the public invited to attend. For decades, the Renmark Irrigation Trust has led the country in innovative water practices, and I congratulate the board and the Renmark Irrigation Trust employees on their continued commitment to providing water efficiencies to deliver world-class horticultural produce in the Riverland. Hashtag #RegionsMatter.

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