Thursday, 20 February 2025

Ministers statements: tourism and major events

Steve DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh – Minister for Environment, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Outdoor Recreation) (14:09): I rise to update the house and to set the record straight, particularly for those opposite, that Victoria is a great place to live. Melbourne is a city with world-class restaurants, bars and cafes – a city with a buzz. It is the major events capital of this country and the major cultural capital of this country. It is no wonder Time Out magazine – not the magazine itself but its readers – voted Melbourne the best city in Australia and one of the best in the world. In regional Victoria we have spectacular coastlines, award-winning wineries and beautiful historic townships.

Victoria is also a great place to visit. Recently we have been breaking records: the biggest Boxing Day match ever held in the history of Boxing Day matches, right here at the G; the biggest ever grand slam, the Australian Open – better than all the other grand slams by attendance by a country mile; the first ever Pro Kabaddi League exhibition match played right here on Australian soil, with 300 million viewers overseas.

Whether it is the Twelve Apostles, the penguins at Phillip Island, our natural environment or our major events calendar, Melbourne Airport had its busiest month ever on record in January. We have world-class events – we have many of them. For example, we had Indian folk singer Maithili Thakur at Fed Square, we had the Prodigy last night, we have got Kylie tonight and we have got a whole range of other people who want to be in Melbourne and Victoria. And what a touchdown the Premier secured for Victoria with the NFL coming here – the first ever midseason points match to be played in Australia, right here in Melbourne. It will absolutely be a game changer.

There is another way. You can talk down Victoria at every opportunity, talk down Victoria to the media at every opportunity, talk down Victoria on social media, or go and negotiate with the stakeholders, licence-holders – (Time expired)