Adelaide show was one of the best ever, the weather was perfect and crowds great.

Spending was also very good with all operators reporting an excellent result. As usual the management team in Adelaide have created a great event.

July, August and September have been good months with attendance at most events very good, The Gold Coast show has reported the best ever show.

On occasions, the media does seem to get somewhat carried away with the reporting of what it considers to be less favourable aspects of the show, however, the excellent attendances we have recently experienced puts such inaccurate reporting into its true context.

On the first Friday night of the Adelaide show a near total blackout occurred around 7.30pm, all rides carried out manual evacuation procedures and all riders were released without incident. This is a fact that the newspapers seemed oblivious too when you read their report of the blackout in the Saturday morning headlines.

The short gap of four days between the Adelaide and Melbourne shows continues to be a concern, and I believe that Work Cover authorities are looking closely at this scheduling. Let's hope some sense prevails with the dates next year.

The Royal Shows and operators continue the working relationship with the various Work Cover authorities which has been very cordial and the national Audit Tool seems to be working very well, I am not aware of any notices issued in Brisbane or Adelaide.

One unfortunate cloud on the horizon has been charges laid against an operator stemming from an incident that occurred during the 2006 Adelaide Show. The case cannot be discussed at present as it is currently before the Court, but all those who operate in South Australia will be most interested in the outcome. Particularly in relation to the impounding of equipment for a lengthy period of time, thus leading to loss of income and subsequent financial hardship.

Statistics show that the incident rate on rides in Australia is so low that it fails to register as a percentage calculation. Unfortunately, this statistic is not considered when politics come in play from the top level.

I have compiled a list of questions that I would like to present at the Regulators' Forum at the 2009 AALARA Conference. This may give some clarity for the regulators to clearly state their position on such incidents, and also allow them to hear of the concerns that the operators have.

As the year rapidly runs away there are still two major shows to come and the travelling amusement industry continues to survive in a difficult financial climate. There are also reports of several new rides on their way to Australia.

Regards

Phil Durkin