Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-05-14 Daily Xml

Contents

Generations in Jazz

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (15:01): A further supplementary: given that all the accommodation is booked out, and that's what the minister just referred to, will the government consider funding hotel developments as they did at Adelaide Oval?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:01): No, it's not the government's intention to build a hotel or fund hotel developments. What we do want to do is work with the community. I have spoken to the—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: What we ought to do is work with the regions—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I can't believe that these people don't even understand how important the regions are. We have a world-class event. James Morrison has put Mount Gambier on the world stage. We continue to work with the organisers and continue to take it to another level. There is a whole range of opportunities. I have spoken to some of the organisers about how we can make it a bigger event over maybe a longer period or enhance the event, but it is one of the biggest in the world.

Incidentally, there was a marquee there this year that had 8,000 seats in it. It is the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. It was built specially for that event. This is a world-class event we should be very, very proud of and continue to support.

The PRESIDENT: Supplementary, the Hon. Ms Scriven?