Page 924 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 26 July 1989
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The committee, in its deliberations, was not traversing new ground. The proposal by then Minister Brown in early 1987 for a casino was more or less the fifth attempt by the Federal Government to establish a casino in Canberra. These attempts generated a number of inquiries by a range of bodies. Two select committees and one standing committee of our predecessors, the old Legislative Assembly and the House of Assembly, were held. The Caldwell social impact study was commissioned last year to inquire into the social impact, the likely effect on individuals and families, the likely effect on business and tourism, and the likely effect on the character of Canberra as the national capital.
It was clear to the committee at an early stage that it would not be possible for us to cover in 60 days all the ground that has been covered previously by others. I am confident, however, that the best possible use was made of the time available to us and the maximum number of sources and opinions were consulted in order to enable us to assess for ourselves whether the conclusions of earlier reports were justified. The importance of the process we undertook was its ability to directly probe the views of citizens of the ACT on these issues.
Although this process occurred to some extent with the Caldwell report and other reports, it was particularly relevant in this case because those conducting the inquiry were a representative cross-section of those who would ultimately make the decision about whether Canberra should have a casino. I hope that it is as a result of this fact that this inquiry will have been the last on this subject and that the divisions and anxieties generated around this issue will be put to rest by a quick decision and the implementation by the Government of the recommendations of this report.
The debate on this subject has, in the committee's view, been more than reasonable and the suggestion that the issue should be further referred to a referendum was rejected by the committee. The committee went to great lengths to probe community views and to take a full range of opinions on the issues raised. It examined officially 58 witnesses and received more than 100 submissions. In addition, it met with a number of other people involved with the operation or surveillance or social impact of casinos in Adelaide and Hobart, where members of the committee made an informal trip earlier this month. Nonetheless, a totally comprehensive inquiry of all possible issues arising out of the terms of reference given to the committee was not possible. The committee presents its report with that caveat firmly to the fore.
Mr Speaker, the terms of reference of the committee required it to examine the extent of a casino's possible contribution to Territory revenues; the appropriate location of a casino in particular to the section 19 site; the environmental and social impact of such a development;
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