Mr GREG WARREN (Campbelltown) (12:14): My question is addressed to the Minister for Sport, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism. Will the Minister please update the House on the blockbuster line-up of major events across New South Wales this October that is driving over $100 million into the New South Wales economy?
Mr STEPHEN KAMPER (Rockdale—Minister for Lands and Property, Minister for Multiculturalism, Minister for Sport, and Minister for Jobs and Tourism) (12:15): I thank the blockbuster member for Campbelltown for his question. He is a major event in his own right. October has been a blockbuster month for major events in New South Wales, with sport, entertainment and racing bringing visitors into our State and more than $100 million in economic benefits. Unlike some of the performances we have seen from members opposite, those events are delivering real impact. Rugby league got the party started with the NRL grand finals, which drew a crowd of over 80,000 people at Accor Stadium and packed out McDonald Jones Stadium in Newy with another 20,000. It was a fantastic weekend for rugby league and for the Sydney visitor economy, with Business Sydney estimating that nearly $35 million was injected into our economy over the grand final weekend.
For footy heads, the entertainment kept rolling. The Rugby League World Cup kicked off in spectacular fashion at Allianz Stadium with more than 40,000 fans watching Australia take on New Zealand. That was the highest attendance for a test match in Sydney for more than 50 years. The Rugby League World Cup is set to deliver more thrills and spills when it brings 16 matches to Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong and an estimated $19 million flowing into our visitor economy. Some members of the House may not know Anyma or BIGBANG. There will be no performances by me this time, but both global superstars performed in Sydney this October and certainly knew how to draw a crowd. That was the start of a great summer of music that will include concerts by the Foo Fighters, Robbie Williams, Guns N' Roses, Harry Styles and Iron Maiden.
The Bledisloe Cup brought Wallabies and All Blacks supporters to Sydney for another chapter in one of Australia's great sporting rivalries, with an estimated $20 million boost to the economy. I do not want to dwell on the result, but at least the Wallabies turned up and had a crack. Those opposite still have not worked out a winning game plan. Damien Tudehope stacked the right wing and left the centre of the field is entirely empty. Thanks to the members representing the electorates of Manly, Wahroonga, Kellyville and Winston Hills, the Opposition is playing with an extended bench. They barely have a full team on the field. But never mind if you are not a fan of the footy—New South Wales has something for everyone. Some 52,000 fans packed out the Everest. The Bathurst 1000 roared to life alongside the iconic Deni Ute Muster. [Extension of time]
One thing sports fans love is a comeback. I can report to the House that the circus master himself, Mark Latham, made his return to the Everest this year. We had world-class thoroughbreds on the track and a political fossil back in the paddock. Then there was Mike Newman flying in from Tokyo to tell us how things should be run here. He has plenty of international travel but not much local form to go on. The former Liberal Government funded him in Japan for four years. Clearly, he has been working on his sumo game because he has come back to towel them all up. In October, we have seen what happens when you combine world-class sport, major entertainment and a government that backs our visitor economy: more visitors, more spending, and more jobs.
