❓ A parliamentary question regarding the expansion of the Gourmet Escape event in Western Australia, focusing on its benefits for local producers and the hospitality industry's response. The Minister's answer details the rationale behind the expansion and cites positive feedback.
AnsweredQoN 621Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GOURMET ESCAPE
621. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to this government's
bold and astute decision to expand the Gourmet Escape.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this new event will benefit Western Australia's
food and wine producers, including those in the Swan Valley?
(2) What has been the response to
this decision by leading figures in the hospitality industry?
(3) Can the minister advise whether
he is aware of anyone who does not support this event?
621. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Minister for Tourism:
I refer to this government's
bold and astute decision to expand the Gourmet Escape.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how this new event will benefit Western Australia's
food and wine producers, including those in the Swan Valley?
(2) What has been the response to
this decision by leading figures in the hospitality industry?
(3) Can the minister advise whether
he is aware of anyone who does not support this event?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3) I
thank the member for her question, because she has a deep and abiding interest
in the expanded Gourmet Escape event, and I am sure she is a supporter.
It is true that only a week ago we
announced not that there would be an expanded—a much bigger and boosted—gourmet
event for Western Australia; we announced the proponent. I announced the other
bit about eight months ago. It has been in the public domain for some eight
months that we have looked at the Margaret River Gourmet Escape, as we are
looking at all events, to determine whether the taxpayer money spent on that
event is driving visitor numbers to the state from outside Western Australia.
It was clear that it was not.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
Mr P. PAPALIA : I am speaking
to the member for Warren–Blackwood, because I know that he has a great
interest in the Margaret River region.
The Gourmet Escape has done a great
job in boosting and elevating the brand of the Margaret River region and its
produce. That is a true and reasonable observation. However, for the scale of
taxpayer investment, it was not driving visitor numbers from outside the state.
We asked Tourism WA to analyse what could be done to drive visitor numbers and
whether this is the event to retain or whether it needed to change. Tourism WA
went to market and sought advice from proponents with capacity in this field. A
panel incorporating expertise from within Tourism WA and the hospitality
sector, both inside and outside Western Australia, assessed all the proponents'
submissions and determined that ING's submission was the best. That submission
proposed an expanded event that will, for the first time, give the state the
opportunity to market a gourmet event in Western Australia to people around the
globe. It will be a 10-day bracket that we can sell to people coming to this
part of the world from anywhere around the globe to experience multiple events.
The event will begin in the Swan Valley with the Swan Valley Gourmet Escape. It
will incorporate an entire week of events around the Perth region.
Mrs A.K. Hayden : Perth hills?
Mr P. PAPALIA : It will
include the Perth hills and, potentially, any other satellite events with the
capacity to be world-class and meet the requirements of this event. The event
will end in Margaret River with the current Margaret River Gourmet Escape
almost replicated, with identical capacity and focus. The Swan Valley component
will have a more rustic approach, to focus on its strengths. The Margaret River
component will be very similar to what it is now for the premium end of the
market. In between those two events will be a new event—that is, the
world gourmet symposium. For the first time we will be attracting trade and
players in the industry from all around the world to not only hear about
cutting-edge advances in the field of culinary tourism and the culinary world,
but also enable our local producers to have a world platform on which to sell
their wares.
Were there any observations or
comments? There were. The Australian Hotels Association of Western Australia
put out a media release entitled ''Bigger, Better, More Inclusive WA
Gourmet Escape'', which states —
The Australian Hotels Association
(WA) welcomes today's announcement of an expanded and refreshed WA
Gourmet Escape, which will improve and elevate the original event by leveraging
the Margaret River brand for the benefit of other regions in WA.
It goes on, effusively supporting
it.
The SPEAKER : Minister!
Mr P. PAPALIA : Interestingly,
the foremost culinary journalist in the state, Rob Broadfield, also has an
opinion piece entitled ''Bigger Gourmet Escape food festival will be
good for Margaret River''. In reference to some disparaging comments, he
said —
By our reckoning, the opposite is the
case. Expanding the event to cover the Swan Valley and the Perth hospitality
and hotels community is a welcome maturity of the event which brings with it a range
of much needed synergies for tourism stakeholders in Western Australia beyond
that which could be delivered by the somewhat boutique nature of the original
Margaret River event.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse!
Mr P. PAPALIA : He also says—I
am just finishing, Mr Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! I am
sure the minister is getting to the end.
Mr P. PAPALIA : I will
truncate it. He said —
The bigger, better Western Australian
Gourmet Escape —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr P. PAPALIA : I am quoting
Mr Broadfield.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Scarborough!
Mr P. PAPALIA : He said —
The bigger, better Western Australian
Gourmet Escape will be a winner. The State Government should be congratulated.
The member for Swan Hills asked —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister.
Mr P. PAPALIA : Thank you, Mr
Speaker.
The member for Swan Hills asked
whether anyone did not like the event.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
P. PAPALIA : Mr Speaker, I am
quoting from Mr Broadfield's piece, which is online right now and can
be read.
I was asked whether there were any
other views and whether anyone was against a bigger, boosted, more expansive
event. There is one person.
Several members interjected.
Point of Order
Mrs M.H.
ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I am really keen to hear about the Swan Valley.
Maybe members opposite are not. They are drowning out the minister, so I cannot
hear about our opportunities.
Mr S.K. L'Estrange interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Churchlands,
I call you to order for the first time. I will hear points of order in silence.
Minister, just remember that you are
only one of the ministers. There are other ministers who might not get a question
up if you take too long.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr
P. PAPALIA : I am sure that plenty
of people across Western Australia are interested in the Gourmet Escape. Last
Friday, when I was in Margaret River meeting with representatives from the City
of Busselton, the Shire of Augusta–Margaret River, Australia's
South West, the South West Development Commission, the Augusta–Margaret
River Tourism Association, the Margaret River Wines Association, Burch Family
Wines, Voyager Estate, Leeuwin Estate and Vasse Felix and hearing about their
enthusiasm for the new event, somebody was in Perth attacking it and saying
that we should not have a new Western Australian Gourmet Escape. That was the
opposition shadow Minister for Tourism. Fortunately, when it comes to opinions
about any events, including the Gourmet Escape, I prefer to listen to those
people who are well informed.
thank the member for her question, because she has a deep and abiding interest
in the expanded Gourmet Escape event, and I am sure she is a supporter.
It is true that only a week ago we
announced not that there would be an expanded—a much bigger and boosted—gourmet
event for Western Australia; we announced the proponent. I announced the other
bit about eight months ago. It has been in the public domain for some eight
months that we have looked at the Margaret River Gourmet Escape, as we are
looking at all events, to determine whether the taxpayer money spent on that
event is driving visitor numbers to the state from outside Western Australia.
It was clear that it was not.
Mr D.T. Redman interjected.
Mr P. PAPALIA : I am speaking
to the member for Warren–Blackwood, because I know that he has a great
interest in the Margaret River region.
The Gourmet Escape has done a great
job in boosting and elevating the brand of the Margaret River region and its
produce. That is a true and reasonable observation. However, for the scale of
taxpayer investment, it was not driving visitor numbers from outside the state.
We asked Tourism WA to analyse what could be done to drive visitor numbers and
whether this is the event to retain or whether it needed to change. Tourism WA
went to market and sought advice from proponents with capacity in this field. A
panel incorporating expertise from within Tourism WA and the hospitality
sector, both inside and outside Western Australia, assessed all the proponents'
submissions and determined that ING's submission was the best. That submission
proposed an expanded event that will, for the first time, give the state the
opportunity to market a gourmet event in Western Australia to people around the
globe. It will be a 10-day bracket that we can sell to people coming to this
part of the world from anywhere around the globe to experience multiple events.
The event will begin in the Swan Valley with the Swan Valley Gourmet Escape. It
will incorporate an entire week of events around the Perth region.
Mrs A.K. Hayden : Perth hills?
Mr P. PAPALIA : It will
include the Perth hills and, potentially, any other satellite events with the
capacity to be world-class and meet the requirements of this event. The event
will end in Margaret River with the current Margaret River Gourmet Escape
almost replicated, with identical capacity and focus. The Swan Valley component
will have a more rustic approach, to focus on its strengths. The Margaret River
component will be very similar to what it is now for the premium end of the
market. In between those two events will be a new event—that is, the
world gourmet symposium. For the first time we will be attracting trade and
players in the industry from all around the world to not only hear about
cutting-edge advances in the field of culinary tourism and the culinary world,
but also enable our local producers to have a world platform on which to sell
their wares.
Were there any observations or
comments? There were. The Australian Hotels Association of Western Australia
put out a media release entitled ''Bigger, Better, More Inclusive WA
Gourmet Escape'', which states —
The Australian Hotels Association
(WA) welcomes today's announcement of an expanded and refreshed WA
Gourmet Escape, which will improve and elevate the original event by leveraging
the Margaret River brand for the benefit of other regions in WA.
It goes on, effusively supporting
it.
The SPEAKER : Minister!
Mr P. PAPALIA : Interestingly,
the foremost culinary journalist in the state, Rob Broadfield, also has an
opinion piece entitled ''Bigger Gourmet Escape food festival will be
good for Margaret River''. In reference to some disparaging comments, he
said —
By our reckoning, the opposite is the
case. Expanding the event to cover the Swan Valley and the Perth hospitality
and hotels community is a welcome maturity of the event which brings with it a range
of much needed synergies for tourism stakeholders in Western Australia beyond
that which could be delivered by the somewhat boutique nature of the original
Margaret River event.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse!
Mr P. PAPALIA : He also says—I
am just finishing, Mr Speaker.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members! I am
sure the minister is getting to the end.
Mr P. PAPALIA : I will
truncate it. He said —
The bigger, better Western Australian
Gourmet Escape —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mr P. PAPALIA : I am quoting
Mr Broadfield.
Mrs L.M. Harvey interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Scarborough!
Mr P. PAPALIA : He said —
The bigger, better Western Australian
Gourmet Escape will be a winner. The State Government should be congratulated.
The member for Swan Hills asked —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Minister.
Mr P. PAPALIA : Thank you, Mr
Speaker.
The member for Swan Hills asked
whether anyone did not like the event.
Ms L. Mettam interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Vasse, I call you to order for the first time.
Mr
P. PAPALIA : Mr Speaker, I am
quoting from Mr Broadfield's piece, which is online right now and can
be read.
I was asked whether there were any
other views and whether anyone was against a bigger, boosted, more expansive
event. There is one person.
Several members interjected.
Point of Order
Mrs M.H.
ROBERTS : Mr Speaker, I am really keen to hear about the Swan Valley.
Maybe members opposite are not. They are drowning out the minister, so I cannot
hear about our opportunities.
Mr S.K. L'Estrange interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Member for Churchlands,
I call you to order for the first time. I will hear points of order in silence.
Minister, just remember that you are
only one of the ministers. There are other ministers who might not get a question
up if you take too long.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr
P. PAPALIA : I am sure that plenty
of people across Western Australia are interested in the Gourmet Escape. Last
Friday, when I was in Margaret River meeting with representatives from the City
of Busselton, the Shire of Augusta–Margaret River, Australia's
South West, the South West Development Commission, the Augusta–Margaret
River Tourism Association, the Margaret River Wines Association, Burch Family
Wines, Voyager Estate, Leeuwin Estate and Vasse Felix and hearing about their
enthusiasm for the new event, somebody was in Perth attacking it and saying
that we should not have a new Western Australian Gourmet Escape. That was the
opposition shadow Minister for Tourism. Fortunately, when it comes to opinions
about any events, including the Gourmet Escape, I prefer to listen to those
people who are well informed.
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