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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-25 Daily Xml
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Tour Down Under

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:30): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, hoping that he can contribute. Will Mike Turtur be the Tour Down Under race director for the 2020 race? If not, who will the new director be and what process is underway to recruit the new director, and how is the planning for the 2019 race progressing?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:30): I thank the honourable member for her question about the Tour Down Under, a great event—a Liberal event that was instigated under the Olsen government when my honourable colleague was the treasurer. I think that, at the time, the Hon. Kevin Foley entered the bar, as we often do after these sorts of ministerial statement announcement things, and said, 'What, a bike race? Are you mad? Nobody is ever going to go to that.' Now, 20 years later, it's a wonderful event that's supported by everybody.

It was Mike Turtur's baby, and Mike Turtur is still the race director. He's doing a great job. I think the race routes are going to be announced shortly. I am not sure of the exact date, but usually around August or September they are announced, so planning is well underway for the 2019 event. It's a great event and we expect to have the record numbers that we always have at the Tour Down Under. It's a special event, and I think all of us are surprised that we now have the greatest cycling race in the Southern Hemisphere at home in Adelaide.

There are always ongoing discussions with Mike Turtur about how long he will continue as the race director. I am not privy to those; that's between Events SA, the Tourism Commission and Mr Turtur himself. I know Mr Turtur has run it for 20 years, which is an extremely long time, and I think we should be very grateful for his vision and his insight into how we could develop a world-class race. I don't know what the plans are for the 2020 race and whether Mike Turtur will be the director or not. There are ongoing negotiations. I suspect that if he wants to continue that will be a matter of discussion with Events SA and Mr Turtur himself.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Scriven, a supplementary.

The Hon. K.J. Maher: That was the second part of the question?

The PRESIDENT: Leader of the Opposition, you are talking over your own member.

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