Tourism Minister Leon Bignell wants to replace the SA Tourism Commission board with an “industry panel” to put the tourism agency on a similar footing to other government departments.

The SATC board is one of 105 state boards and committees recommended for abolition by a State Government audit.

Bignell told InDaily that the tourism industry would gain a greater say under his plan for a panel – and he pointedly criticised some of the board’s decisions.

Under current arrangements, the Tourism Minister is at arm’s length from decision-making in the SATC.

However, the minister does have the power to direct the chief executive via the board.

Bignell said this was a time-consuming and cumbersome process.

Instead, he wants the chief executive to answer to the minister, with broader industry input provided by a panel convened by the minister and the SATC chief executive.

Under Bignell’s current plan, which he will discuss with the industry, the panel would meet about every eight weeks. It would be an advisory body only – it wouldn’t be able to formally direct the SATC’s work.

Its members would include representatives of every regional tourism board, Education Adelaide, the Australian Hotels Association, the SA Tourism Industry Council, and a representative of the merged boards of the Entertainment Centre and the Adelaide Convention Centre (another recommendation of the government audit).

“A lot of people (in the industry) haven’t been happy with the board’s performance,” Bignell said.

“It’s not necessarily reflective of the people on the board, but reflective of the place that the board holds.

“A lot of people I have spoken to don’t agree that this (the current governance structure) is the best way to go about it.

“In what other government department does a minister have to go through the board to direct it?”

He said that “sometimes Tourism has acted in isolation from the rest of the Government’s agenda”.

When asked for examples, he said the Government had been “selling” the revamped Adelaide Oval as a tourism drawcard “without a great deal of leadership from the board”.

He was also critical of an attempt by the SATC to come up with its own revamped brand, which he said cost $150,000.

“We have come up with a brand for the state, and they are out making a brand of their own.”

The chief executive of the South Australian Tourism Industry Council, Ward Tilbrook, was dubious about the plan, telling InDaily that the SATC board was meant to be at arm’s length from government.

He said issues about the performance of the current board should be kept separate from structural governance issues.

“The commission has a special role in serving an economic sector that’s made up of businesses,” he said. “It’s private enterprise that grows tourism in SA, and it’s private industry that leads the way.”

Tilbrook said he had a range of questions about the proposed industry panel – particularly its responsibilities.

“Any industry representation has to be accountable and transparent. It can’t be be an ad hoc collective that meets every now and then to kick things around a bit. There needs to be more rigour.”

National industry body, the Tourism & Transport Forum,  said the Government should retain an “independent and expert board”.

TTF acting chief executive Trent Zimmerman said the decision was “a blow to the sector”.

“Tourism marketing requires expert input from people with experience in the industry and the SATC board was appointed to ensure the agency fulfils its role,” he said.

“Removing it will leave the minister of the day responsible for all the agency’s activities and remove the expertise and knowledge the board provides.

“Put simply, government ministers should not be in charge of designing advertising campaigns.”

Opposition tourism spokesman David Ridgway also questioned the decision, saying there was a strong case for retaining the SATC board.

“There is no doubt of the need for reform of the State Government board structure that has grown largely unchecked and unexamined in the last few decades,” Ridgway said.

“The Minister for Tourism Leon Bignell needs to explain why axing the board responsible for providing independent, expert advice in an industry recently identified as a significant part of  the Weatherill Government’s ‘Seven Strategic Priorities’ is a sensible decision.”

In other changes flagged by the board audit, the Motor Sport Board would also be abolished.

Bignell said Events SA would take control of the events managed by the board – the Clipsal 500 V8 race, and the World Solar Challenge.