Question regarding the financial justification for government backing of the Red Bull Air Race, given its apparent failure to meet the former Minister for Tourism's minimum return on investment criterion. The Minister's response is evasive and focuses on the event's visual appeal and media attraction.

AnsweredQoN 608Legislative Assembly
Asked
13 September 2006
Portfolio
Tourism

QuestionView source ↗

RED BULL AIR RACE
I refer to the Red Bull Air Race. Given that the government has established that the financial return for the event will be $1.89 for every dollar spent, and this falls well short of the minimum $5 return for each dollar established by the former Minister for Tourism, why has the government backed an event that does not meet its own criterion? Ms S.M. McHALE

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for her question. I want all members on both sides of the chamber to visualise the Perth side of the Swan River and the South Perth foreshore with hundreds of thousands of people watching the Red Bull Air Race. Mr T. Buswell : Hundreds of thousands? Ms S.M. McHALE : Does the member want the answer or not? Ms K. Hodson-Thomas : Yes, we want the answer, but don’t dress it up as hundreds of thousands of people. The SPEAKER : I ask the minister to take her seat. Therein lies the problem with accepting interjections. No more interjections will be taken during today’s question time. Ms S.M. McHALE : The member has the figures wrong, which is not surprising. Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
Ms S.M. McHALE replied: I thank the member for her question. I want all members on both sides of the chamber to visualise the Perth side of the Swan River and the South Perth foreshore with hundreds of thousands of people watching the Red Bull Air Race. Mr T. Buswell : Hundreds of thousands? Ms S.M. McHALE : Does the member want the answer or not? Ms K. Hodson-Thomas : Yes, we want the answer, but don’t dress it up as hundreds of thousands of people. The SPEAKER : I ask the minister to take her seat. Therein lies the problem with accepting interjections. No more interjections will be taken during today’s question time. Ms S.M. McHALE : The member has the figures wrong, which is not surprising. Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
I thank the member for her question. I want all members on both sides of the chamber to visualise the Perth side of the Swan River and the South Perth foreshore with hundreds of thousands of people watching the Red Bull Air Race. Mr T. Buswell : Hundreds of thousands? Ms S.M. McHALE : Does the member want the answer or not? Ms K. Hodson-Thomas : Yes, we want the answer, but don’t dress it up as hundreds of thousands of people. The SPEAKER : I ask the minister to take her seat. Therein lies the problem with accepting interjections. No more interjections will be taken during today’s question time. Ms S.M. McHALE : The member has the figures wrong, which is not surprising. Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
Mr T. Buswell : Hundreds of thousands? Ms S.M. McHALE : Does the member want the answer or not? Ms K. Hodson-Thomas : Yes, we want the answer, but don’t dress it up as hundreds of thousands of people. The SPEAKER : I ask the minister to take her seat. Therein lies the problem with accepting interjections. No more interjections will be taken during today’s question time. Ms S.M. McHALE : The member has the figures wrong, which is not surprising. Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
Ms S.M. McHALE : Does the member want the answer or not? Ms K. Hodson-Thomas : Yes, we want the answer, but don’t dress it up as hundreds of thousands of people. The SPEAKER : I ask the minister to take her seat. Therein lies the problem with accepting interjections. No more interjections will be taken during today’s question time. Ms S.M. McHALE : The member has the figures wrong, which is not surprising. Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
Ms K. Hodson-Thomas : Yes, we want the answer, but don’t dress it up as hundreds of thousands of people. The SPEAKER : I ask the minister to take her seat. Therein lies the problem with accepting interjections. No more interjections will be taken during today’s question time. Ms S.M. McHALE : The member has the figures wrong, which is not surprising. Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
The SPEAKER : I ask the minister to take her seat. Therein lies the problem with accepting interjections. No more interjections will be taken during today’s question time. Ms S.M. McHALE : The member has the figures wrong, which is not surprising. Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
Ms S.M. McHALE : The member has the figures wrong, which is not surprising. Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
Ms K. Hodson-Thomas interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Carine! Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.
Ms S.M. McHALE : The economic return on the Red Bull event will be in the region of $2.8 million. We are investing more than $2 million. The member also queried at some stage the comparison between this event and Rally Australia. They are absolutely miles apart. An investment of $2 million will also deliver media attraction, the economic value of which will be absolutely huge and significant.

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