❓ Mr. Aubrey asks about the economic benefits of securing a UFC event and the government's strategy for attracting major events to WA. The Minister highlights the expected economic boost from UFC 284 and lists other successful and upcoming events, emphasising the government's tourism strategy.
AnsweredQoN 588Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
588. Mr S.N. AUBREY to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to diversifying the state's economy,
growing tourism and attracting world-class events to Western Australia.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house what this
government's success in securing a major Ultimate Fighting Championship event will mean for local businesses?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house of how the government is ensuring that WA will
continue to be a sought after destination
for major events to support local jobs, local businesses and the Western Australian
economy?
588. Mr S.N. AUBREY to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to diversifying the state's economy,
growing tourism and attracting world-class events to Western Australia.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house what this
government's success in securing a major Ultimate Fighting Championship event will mean for local businesses?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house of how the government is ensuring that WA will
continue to be a sought after destination
for major events to support local jobs, local businesses and the Western Australian
economy?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
(1)–(2) Recently
I had the pleasure of joining Australia's UFC featherweight champion,
Alexander Volkanovski, and Parliament's own UFC champion, Hon Kyle
McGinn, to announce that on 12 February next year, around 13 000 spectators
will watch UFC 284 at RAC Arena, with millions more watching the live broadcast,
streamed to 180 countries around the world. This event is expected to attract
thousands of visitors from interstate in a major economic boost to fill hotel
rooms and to drive economic activity and jobs for local tourism and hospitality
businesses. I know that UFC may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there
are at least 350 000 fans in Western Australia, including the Minister for
Police and his kids, and many millions across the country. In 2018, the
previous iteration, UFC 2021, injected $5.3 million into the WA visitor
economy; 30 per cent of tickets sold to that event were for visitors from
interstate. These visitors stayed an average of three nights in the city and
spent around $444 on each day of their visit. This really underpins the
importance of these sorts of events. It means more opportunities for owners of
cafes, bars and hotels. It means increased opportunities for jobs in our great
hospitality sector and a big boost for our tourism operators.
The UFC will be another major event
success for Perth, following the enviable list of tourism success stories such as the Margaret River Pro, the
National Rugby League State of Origin match, the ICON Festival of
International Football, the Super Netball grand final and the Wallabies rugby
union international, not to mention the upcoming International Cricket Council
T20 Cricket World Cup and the Women's Cricket World Cup matches in
2023. It is not always elite sports that get a mention. Today I went to the six-month
milestone for the World Transplant Games, which will occur between 15 and 21 April
2023, bringing over 2 000 competitors from
60 countries across the world. It will not only mean great tourism and economic opportunities for Western Australia, but also highlight the importance of organ
donation and inspire the community, which will see these great people, organ
transplant recipients, doing their best.
The range and breadth of the major
events strategy is reaping rewards for local businesses while putting Perth and Western Australia on the global map of
must-see destinations. The tourism workforce development program and the Discover the Other Side campaign
are some of the measures that the McGowan government is taking to ensure
that we continue to drive up the availability of the tourism and hospitality
workforces. From the Margaret River Pro in the south west to Dambo's Giants
of Mandurah in the Peel to the total solar eclipse in the Gascoyne and
Pilbara and everything in between, thanks to the McGowan government, our
tourism strategy is putting the entire state on display. These are big events.
They are great events and they are ones that not only put Western Australia on
the global map, but also continue to drive economic growth and prosperity for
everyone involved in the great tourism and hospitality industries.
(1)–(2) Recently
I had the pleasure of joining Australia's UFC featherweight champion,
Alexander Volkanovski, and Parliament's own UFC champion, Hon Kyle
McGinn, to announce that on 12 February next year, around 13 000 spectators
will watch UFC 284 at RAC Arena, with millions more watching the live broadcast,
streamed to 180 countries around the world. This event is expected to attract
thousands of visitors from interstate in a major economic boost to fill hotel
rooms and to drive economic activity and jobs for local tourism and hospitality
businesses. I know that UFC may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there
are at least 350 000 fans in Western Australia, including the Minister for
Police and his kids, and many millions across the country. In 2018, the
previous iteration, UFC 2021, injected $5.3 million into the WA visitor
economy; 30 per cent of tickets sold to that event were for visitors from
interstate. These visitors stayed an average of three nights in the city and
spent around $444 on each day of their visit. This really underpins the
importance of these sorts of events. It means more opportunities for owners of
cafes, bars and hotels. It means increased opportunities for jobs in our great
hospitality sector and a big boost for our tourism operators.
The UFC will be another major event
success for Perth, following the enviable list of tourism success stories such as the Margaret River Pro, the
National Rugby League State of Origin match, the ICON Festival of
International Football, the Super Netball grand final and the Wallabies rugby
union international, not to mention the upcoming International Cricket Council
T20 Cricket World Cup and the Women's Cricket World Cup matches in
2023. It is not always elite sports that get a mention. Today I went to the six-month
milestone for the World Transplant Games, which will occur between 15 and 21 April
2023, bringing over 2 000 competitors from
60 countries across the world. It will not only mean great tourism and economic opportunities for Western Australia, but also highlight the importance of organ
donation and inspire the community, which will see these great people, organ
transplant recipients, doing their best.
The range and breadth of the major
events strategy is reaping rewards for local businesses while putting Perth and Western Australia on the global map of
must-see destinations. The tourism workforce development program and the Discover the Other Side campaign
are some of the measures that the McGowan government is taking to ensure
that we continue to drive up the availability of the tourism and hospitality
workforces. From the Margaret River Pro in the south west to Dambo's Giants
of Mandurah in the Peel to the total solar eclipse in the Gascoyne and
Pilbara and everything in between, thanks to the McGowan government, our
tourism strategy is putting the entire state on display. These are big events.
They are great events and they are ones that not only put Western Australia on
the global map, but also continue to drive economic growth and prosperity for
everyone involved in the great tourism and hospitality industries.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.