❓ Mrs. Roberts questions the Tourism Minister about Eventscorp's potential deal with a UK company for the Margaret River Food and Wine Festival, raising concerns about local consultation and past failures. The Minister deflects, citing a leaked email and stating a decision is pending.
AnsweredQoN 261Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
EVENTSCORP
— MARGARET RIVER FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
261. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Tourism:
My questions relate to a food and wine festival that is being
proposed by the minister's agency to take place in Margaret River in November
this year.
(1) Is it true
that Eventscorp is negotiating with a view to sign off on a deal with a United
Kingdom–based company to run the event?
(2) What
confidence can the minister have in these arrangements given his agency's
role in the failure of the One Movement festival, the failure of the village at
the Sailing World Championships, the Kimberley Ultramarathon and assorted other
failures?
(3) Is the
minister alert to concerns about whether it can be successfully done by an
overseas company with only six months of preparation or that our Western
Australian Margaret River brand may be tarnished if the event is botched?
(4) Why have
those in the local food and wine industry not been properly consulted and why
would the minister not let locals manage the festival?
— MARGARET RIVER FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
261. Mrs M.H. ROBERTS to the Minister for Tourism:
My questions relate to a food and wine festival that is being
proposed by the minister's agency to take place in Margaret River in November
this year.
(1) Is it true
that Eventscorp is negotiating with a view to sign off on a deal with a United
Kingdom–based company to run the event?
(2) What
confidence can the minister have in these arrangements given his agency's
role in the failure of the One Movement festival, the failure of the village at
the Sailing World Championships, the Kimberley Ultramarathon and assorted other
failures?
(3) Is the
minister alert to concerns about whether it can be successfully done by an
overseas company with only six months of preparation or that our Western
Australian Margaret River brand may be tarnished if the event is botched?
(4) Why have
those in the local food and wine industry not been properly consulted and why
would the minister not let locals manage the festival?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(4) It is amazing where these questions come
from, is it not?
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
The people in Margaret River; that is where they have come from.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Is that right? Name the person. An email was floating around
and we just heard an almost exact quote from the substance of that email. That
email came from a particular person who is involved in providing food
festivals, if we like, in Australia. The sad thing was that that person, in
sending a copy to ''Dear Michelle'' also sent a copy to the other
guys who were involved in the conversation about a function, about an event.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : I do not think anyone gets what you just said. Start again; you're
getting all excited!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : I will do it again; all right. It was exciting; I was excited.
That person sent a ''Dear Michelle'' letter, a ''kind
regards'' letter—I am not going to say his name. He copied that
letter to the very people that he was complaining about. He sent a copy to them
and then tried to retrieve it. He tried to get it back again and said, ''Oops!
I sent that to the wrong bloke.'' Bad luck; we have already read it.
Subsequently, we got to see the comment, and it is interesting that every
component of that question is included in the question from the shadow minister.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : What's the answer?
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The answer is that those matters are before the government, and
when a decision is made a public statement will be made.
from, is it not?
Mrs M.H. Roberts :
The people in Margaret River; that is where they have come from.
Dr
K.D. HAMES : Is that right? Name the person. An email was floating around
and we just heard an almost exact quote from the substance of that email. That
email came from a particular person who is involved in providing food
festivals, if we like, in Australia. The sad thing was that that person, in
sending a copy to ''Dear Michelle'' also sent a copy to the other
guys who were involved in the conversation about a function, about an event.
Mr
B.S. Wyatt : I do not think anyone gets what you just said. Start again; you're
getting all excited!
Dr
K.D. HAMES : I will do it again; all right. It was exciting; I was excited.
That person sent a ''Dear Michelle'' letter, a ''kind
regards'' letter—I am not going to say his name. He copied that
letter to the very people that he was complaining about. He sent a copy to them
and then tried to retrieve it. He tried to get it back again and said, ''Oops!
I sent that to the wrong bloke.'' Bad luck; we have already read it.
Subsequently, we got to see the comment, and it is interesting that every
component of that question is included in the question from the shadow minister.
Mrs
M.H. Roberts : What's the answer?
Dr
K.D. HAMES : The answer is that those matters are before the government, and
when a decision is made a public statement will be made.
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