❓ Opposition MP questions the Tourism Minister about the use of state funds for the Margaret River Gourmet Escape, specifically the involvement of a British event management company and the promotion of international products. The Minister defends the event, highlighting its benefits for the Margaret River region and WA's international exposure.
AnsweredQoN 87Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MARGARET
RIVER GOURMET ESCAPE — EVENT MANAGEMENT
87. Mr P. PAPALIA to the
Minister for Tourism:
I refer the minister to her recent claims regarding talking
up WA and her government's achievements in relation to the state's
events program, as well as the fact that she used $2.58 million to fund the
Margaret River Gourmet Escape last year.
(1) Is it true that the event manager for the gourmet escape
was the British company Brand Events?
(2) Is it also
true that the brands exclusively promoted at the event included San Pellegrino
water from Italy; Aesop toiletries from Victoria; Lurpak butter from Denmark—the
one in Europe!—Pimm's beverages from the UK; Dimattina Coffee
from Italy; Huon Aquaculture products from Tasmania; Trumer Pils beer from
California; and an almost unpronounceable Swedish cider!
(3) I ask the minister —
The SPEAKER :
Members! This is a culinary delight! Can I have some quiet, please.
Mr P. PAPALIA : How
is spending state taxpayer dollars on a foreign events management company
promoting foreign and interstate products talking up WA?
RIVER GOURMET ESCAPE — EVENT MANAGEMENT
87. Mr P. PAPALIA to the
Minister for Tourism:
I refer the minister to her recent claims regarding talking
up WA and her government's achievements in relation to the state's
events program, as well as the fact that she used $2.58 million to fund the
Margaret River Gourmet Escape last year.
(1) Is it true that the event manager for the gourmet escape
was the British company Brand Events?
(2) Is it also
true that the brands exclusively promoted at the event included San Pellegrino
water from Italy; Aesop toiletries from Victoria; Lurpak butter from Denmark—the
one in Europe!—Pimm's beverages from the UK; Dimattina Coffee
from Italy; Huon Aquaculture products from Tasmania; Trumer Pils beer from
California; and an almost unpronounceable Swedish cider!
(3) I ask the minister —
The SPEAKER :
Members! This is a culinary delight! Can I have some quiet, please.
Mr P. PAPALIA : How
is spending state taxpayer dollars on a foreign events management company
promoting foreign and interstate products talking up WA?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(3)
Once again, members opposite cannot resist! We are talking about the Margaret
River Gourmet Escape program, which is all about putting the ''Margaret
River'' and ''gourmet'' brands on the map for the foodies
and on the foodie calendar, and on developing that region as a gourmet
destination. I do not know what the member for Warnbro is suggesting. Is he
suggesting that we ban all importation of international products into Margaret
River? I do not know whether that is the way export trade works, necessarily. I
will say about the Margaret River Gourmet Escape that Brand Events is doing a
terrific job promoting the Margaret River region. It has been a fantastic event
for not only locals of the Margaret River region, but also people travelling
from interstate and overseas destinations to attend the Margaret River Gourmet
Escape at Margaret River.
The other really important aspect of the Margaret River Gourmet Escape
that members need to be aware of is that, as a result of attracting
international chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Rick Stein to the Margaret
River region, that region was exposed to more than 26 countries around the
world. International visitors now look to Margaret River as the foodie capital
of Western Australia. They will want to go there for their next holiday to see
those extraordinary beaches, visit the vineyards and eat in those restaurants.
They are going to come back next year. If members opposite cannot see the value
in that, if they cannot find any aspect —
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Armadale, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : If members opposite cannot find any aspect
of the Margaret River Gourmet Escape to talk up or cannot delight in what the
south west region has to offer, I feel sad for them, and especially so for the
member for Warnbro, who wants to be tourism minister for this state. I stand
behind that event. It was a great event for Western Australians. It gave us
international exposure.
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : We now have international chefs fighting for
an opportunity to come to that event. That is worth every cent we spent on it!
Once again, members opposite cannot resist! We are talking about the Margaret
River Gourmet Escape program, which is all about putting the ''Margaret
River'' and ''gourmet'' brands on the map for the foodies
and on the foodie calendar, and on developing that region as a gourmet
destination. I do not know what the member for Warnbro is suggesting. Is he
suggesting that we ban all importation of international products into Margaret
River? I do not know whether that is the way export trade works, necessarily. I
will say about the Margaret River Gourmet Escape that Brand Events is doing a
terrific job promoting the Margaret River region. It has been a fantastic event
for not only locals of the Margaret River region, but also people travelling
from interstate and overseas destinations to attend the Margaret River Gourmet
Escape at Margaret River.
The other really important aspect of the Margaret River Gourmet Escape
that members need to be aware of is that, as a result of attracting
international chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Rick Stein to the Margaret
River region, that region was exposed to more than 26 countries around the
world. International visitors now look to Margaret River as the foodie capital
of Western Australia. They will want to go there for their next holiday to see
those extraordinary beaches, visit the vineyards and eat in those restaurants.
They are going to come back next year. If members opposite cannot see the value
in that, if they cannot find any aspect —
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for Armadale, I call you to order for the second time.
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : If members opposite cannot find any aspect
of the Margaret River Gourmet Escape to talk up or cannot delight in what the
south west region has to offer, I feel sad for them, and especially so for the
member for Warnbro, who wants to be tourism minister for this state. I stand
behind that event. It was a great event for Western Australians. It gave us
international exposure.
Several members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs L.M. HARVEY : We now have international chefs fighting for
an opportunity to come to that event. That is worth every cent we spent on it!
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.