Wednesday, 31 August 2022

Ministers statements: major events

Mr DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh—Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Creative Industries) (14:29): Just last month we hit a milestone: 4.5 million attendances at major events across sport, art, theatre, food and fashion, delivering a huge number of visitors to Victoria. This does not happen by accident. It is a result of the Andrews Labor government’s sustained investment supporting jobs and powering the state’s economic recovery.

The year started with the Australian Open, followed by record crowds at the Formula One Grand Prix, and I was there when a sea of red turned out to see Manchester United at the MCG. Melbourne’s renowned theatre district was one of only three places in the world to stage Harry Potter, Moulin Rouge! and Hamilton all at once. We have had blockbuster exhibitions at the NGV, The Picasso Century and much more.

And it is not just in Melbourne. As you know, Speaker, a record number of visitors travelled to Bendigo Art Gallery to see Elvis: Direct from Graceland, as did the Deputy Premier. We have also had the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach. My good friend the member for Geelong knows the impact bringing the Foo Fighters to Geelong had on the community, and the Ballarat International Foto Biennale was warmly welcomed by the member for Wendouree and her community.

In 2019 Victoria’s calendar of major events delivered $2.5 billion in economic value for the state. Major events are key to our tourism offering, and in 2019 the industry provided 259 000 jobs to Victorians. We invest in major events because Victorians deserve the best the world has to offer right here on their doorstep and to put Victoria on the global stage. And it is about jobs: jobs for performers, designers, event organisers and planners, event staff, gallery staff, hospitality workers, riggers, roadies, technicians—the list goes on. Our events are the envy of the country, but so are our people, our workers who bring these events to life, and we have so much more to come.