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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-11-30 Daily Xml
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Hospitality Industry

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:39): I am delighted to rise today to speak about the Adelaide Dining Magazine and acknowledge the dynamic hospitality industry in South Australia. As the shadow minister for tourism and hospitality, I had the great honour to represent the Hon. David Speirs, the leader of the Liberal Party, to attend the Adelaide Dining Magazine 2023 edition launch on Sunday 27 November 2022.

Adelaide Dining Magazine was established in 2014 and has built a reputation for showcasing the best and most innovative restaurants and dining venues in the South Australian hospitality industry. Many businesses I spoke to on the day informed me that restaurants and eateries in the Adelaide Dining Magazine are given maximum exposure to thousands of local and international visitors coming into South Australia.

The mission of this magazine is simple: its focus is to help all people find the food they would like to eat. From a family meal to the fine dining gastronomic experience, the choice is entirely up to the customers. The annual magazine is an eco-friendly, high-gloss, beautifully presented print publication which is distributed in-room and at reception across SA's major hotels, visitor centres, business lounges and tourist hotspots. In addition, the publication also has a strong online presence, including a website that acts as a front desk supporting social media platforms showcasing restaurants, wineries and venues that visitors can explore, along with the latest news from the industry.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Adelaide Dining Magazine's director, Shantal Hart, for launching the magazine and sharing her passion and connection with the hospitality industry. Shantal is a qualified journalist with over 15 years in the media industry. She mentioned in her welcome speech at the launch that she is passionate about two things: writing and food.

Her multicultural Eurasian background opened a world of diverse cultural experience for her from a young age, and food has continued to play a significant part in Shantal's life. Not only does she enjoy eating all kinds of food, from European, Asian and Middle Eastern to endless combinations of fusion foods, she absolutely enjoys writing about food, exploring every story behind the chef's creation and taking the readers on a journey. Well done, Shantal, and her supporters for their wonderful work.

The front cover of the magazine featured Luigi's Legacy, and the restaurant that appeared on the cover became the host for the launch. I take this opportunity to express my special thanks to Luigi Di Costanzo and his team for hosting the launch and for their generous hospitality on the day. Luigi's friendly nature and larger than life personality complements his passion for the theatre of food. He is very proud of his Italian heritage, and bringing food, wine, family and people together comes naturally. It is truly a part of his Italian DNA.

First opening in 2014, Luigi's mamma would join him in the 5am starts, helping curate traditional meatballs, lasagne, parmigiana, sauces and soups. Sadly, three years from the opening, Luigi's beloved mamma passed away, but her warm and loving presence continues to be felt and resonate within the restaurant's walls. It is a heartwarming story to learn that Luigi will continue his mamma's legacy. I also totally agree with Luigi's philosophy that food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. The launch event certainly brought everyone together. It was great to catch up with so many wonderful friends on the day.

I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the achievements and resilience of individuals and businesses in the hospitality industry. In consultation with the industry, people spoke highly in favour of the Great State Voucher program. The Great State Vouchers were introduced by the former Marshall Liberal government and generated $147 million in economic activity for the state. It is such a shame that the Malinauskas Labor government cut the program in its first state budget.

The Liberal Party will continue to call on the Malinauskas Labor government to revive the Great State and Eats voucher schemes to help South Australian businesses to further recover from the pandemic as well as ease cost-of-living pressures on families. Let us all continue to support the local cafes, restaurants and our resilient hospitality industry in South Australia.

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