Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to join my colleagues the member for Fremantle and the member for Hunter in speaking against the motion moved by the member for Page, who I might add is also the shadow minister for trade and tourism. It is unfortunate that we are to do so on a subject such as tourism. As many have done during the course of this debate, we can each paint a very picturesque image of our part of this great nation and describe why our state and, indeed, our electorate is worthy of a visit both by domestic tourists and by international tourists. That is the debate I'd much rather be having, because—I'm sorry to disappoint the members present—I contend that South Australia would clearly win the argument hands down. Instead, we have the member for Page moving a motion to criticise the government, a motion that speaks of doom and gloom in the tourism sector, a motion noting that the line is drawn not from the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic but from the likely first instance where the member for Cook did not effortlessly fail upwards in life and got turfed out of government by the Australian people.

I quite like my idea better. What better opportunity is there to showcase some of the many successes that South Australia has had in the tourism sector now that the worst of COVID is, hopefully, behind us and that there are now Labor governments both in Canberra and on North Terrace? Frankly, it is a debate that is entirely germane to the member for Page's motion. There is something for everyone, whether you visit Adelaide or one of our many regional centres; whether you are from South Australia or are just passing through; whether you're here to attend one of our many events—sporting, cultural, food or wine; or whether you're visiting from somewhere interstate or from overseas. The plain headline figures alone paint a very different picture from the one the member for Page is pushing, about tourism after the COVID lockdowns ended and our borders reopened. The latest available figures that I have at my fingertips show that, in the 12 months leading up to March 2023, tourism for South Australia hit $9.4 billion, which has grown from $6.1 billion in the previous 12 months. Of that, regional tourism has $4.47 billion, which is a staggering 23 per cent increase on prepandemic levels. Interstate tourism spend has hit record highs—$3 billion—which is up 18 per cent on prepandemic 2019 figures.

I must admit, during the pandemic, the regions were seen as the only available option for a getaway. Once people explored some unfamiliar scenery within our own backyards in SA, the staycations were here to stay, having events like the Adelaide 500, the Fringe Festival, the Santos Tour Down Under, Tasting Australia, the AFL Gather Round and a state of origin game—which I naturally had to miss due to it being held in a sitting week. South Australia's 'Festival State' licence plates may have ceased to be issued after 2008, but, since the election of the Malinauskas Labor government, we are living examples of our old slogan instead. The extra revenue flowing through to hotels, to hospitality and to so many other industries beyond our tourism sector gives us the breathing space to steadily grow our international numbers after their heavy and abrupt crash and gives breathing space to the sectors that heavily relied upon them for income. The successful regrowth and revitalisation of the South Australian tourism industry is largely thanks to the Malinauskas Labor government—ministers such as my predecessor, Nick Champion, who is now the South Australian trade and investment minister with responsibility for Brand SA, and Zoe Bettison, SA's tourism minister.

We should be thankful to know that we also have a South Australian at the helm in our government. I know that Senator Farrell, the Minister for Trade and Tourism, works tirelessly in that role to bring Australia back to the forefront of the minds of tourists across the globe. What we have from the opposition are criticisms that things aren't improving quickly enough. They've criticised the government for imposing an extra $10 on the passenger movement charge. I never thought I'd see the day when we'd have the Nationals lamenting measures that would ensure that a fully funded biosecurity regime was in place, but we saw nine years of Nationals in government and they didn't come close to doing that either. A robust and fully funded biosecurity system helps to protect and safeguard not just our ecotourism industry but also our agricultural and horticultural industries. The member for Page is either oblivious to, or ambivalent about, this fact. That said, in their time, we did have the member for New England threatening Johnny Depp's dogs, so that counts for something, I guess.

The Albanese Labor government is taking the importance of our tourism and visitor economy seriously and will continue to do so during this parliament and into the future.

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