Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-31 Daily Xml

Contents

Port Adelaide Tourism

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:58): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before directing a question to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Hon. David Ridgway.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: On a lighter note, you may have seen recently where the Mayor of Port Adelaide Enfield, Gary Johanson, is calling on the government to consider buying lock, stock and barrel a 1950s vintage car museum valued at around $9 million that has been put up for sale in the Eastern States and have it set up in Port Adelaide.

Mr Johanson sees Port Adelaide as becoming an exhibition hall, with museums already there for maritime, rail and aircraft plus the restoration of the City of Adelaide clipper by the Port River and believes that adding an automobile museum would provide an enormous boost to the area's tourism. My question to the minister is: will the government explore the possibility and consider purchasing this unique collection which will add to the state's already impressive vintage and classic car motor vehicle collection currently housed at the Birdwood Motor Museum?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:59): I thank the honourable member for his ongoing interest in things in Port Adelaide and the Mayor of Port Adelaide Enfield, His Worship Gary Johanson. I think it was The Advertiser or Messenger that contacted me—Mr President, I should make my comments through you, of course.

The PRESIDENT: Yes, you should.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Yes. I wanted to pay some respect to the Hon. Mr Pangallo, but I know I should make my comments through you. I can't recall whether it was The Advertiser or Messenger that contacted me after the mayor suggested that this collection, worth $9 million, should be purchased by the state for display at, I thought, Port Adelaide Enfield, not at the Motor Museum at Birdwood. I may have got that wrong.

What I did at the time was make some comments to the media that we would like to have a look at Mr Johanson's—or the mayor's, or Port Adelaide Enfield council's—business plan for the purchase of this particular collection and how it might be seen as good value for the South Australian government, or whoever, to invest in. I'm still waiting for a copy of the business plan from the Port Adelaide Enfield council and Mayor Johanson. When we get a copy of that business plan, I will refer it to the Tourism Commission to have a look.