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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-09-05 Daily Xml
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Question Time

TOURISM COMMISSION

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Tourism a question regarding the Adelaide Hills Jazz Festival, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and the South Australian Art Gallery's Departure event.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: If a South Australian tourist, a prospective visitor from interstate or an overseas traveller were to type 'deals' into the Tourism Commission's website search function, that person may be tempted to go to some of the advertised events. The very first one which comes up is 'Visit South Australia for a winter wine escape'. They might want to go to Hoot!, the Adelaide Hills Jazz Festival, where, the website tells us:

There will be tributes to Buble, the local group E-Type Jazz, and international artists will get you in the mood. You will find plenty to eat while you are jazzing along, fantastic local wines from a bevy of great wineries.

Or there is great information about the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, about which we are told on the website:

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival features the finest local, national and international acts in cabaret. It is one of the best cabaret festivals in the world.

Then there is the Departure at the Art Gallery of SA:

Be transported back in time to the streets of nineteenth century Adelaide. Enjoy exclusive after-hours access to South Australia Illustrated exhibition, plus street art from some of Australia's hottest local talent.

The trouble is that the Hoot! jazz festival was held from 8 to 11 June, the Cabaret Festival was held from 8 to 23 June, and the Art Gallery Departure event was held on 15 June. The Winter Wine Escape, including McLaren Vale Sea and Vines Festival, was on 19 June, the Barossa Gourmet Weekend on 18 and 19 August, and the Winter Reds festivals were held throughout July in the Adelaide Hills. When you click on the web page for more information, a message comes up, which says, 'Oops! We cannot exactly find what you're looking for.' My questions are:

1. Is it true, as information that has come to me suggests, that, because of Tourism Commission staff and skill shortages, there are simply not enough people to properly maintain the website?

2. Minister, how out of date are you?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:26): These are operational matters. The Tourism Commission is an independent statutory authority. It is responsible for its day-to-day management, including its website. The Tourism Commission has indicated that it is undergoing a process of updating all of its sites and general information.

These are operational matters. The Tourism Commission is a statutory authority, which is independent of government, and it is responsible for the day-to-day management of its activities and operations. I thank the honourable member for spending all of his valuable time googling holiday options. I will pass on his observation to the Tourism Commission. As I said, I—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: It's your website.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: It is not my website. As I have said, it is an independent statutory authority, which is responsible for its day-to-day operations, including the management of its website.

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