Page 1888 - Week 09 - Thursday, 19 October 1989
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MRS GRASSBY: I will get back to Mr Stefaniak with a reply.
Tourism Industry
MR DUBY: My question is directed to the Minister responsible for tourism, and I am asking this question as a member of the Tourism Industry Advisory Council. Has the Minister seen an article in today's Canberra Times concerning jobs in the tourism industry of the ACT headed "Jobs in Tourism are no Security"? Does the Minister consider that there is a legitimate long-term career structure in the tourism industry of Canberra?
MR WHALAN: I thank Mr Duby for the question. I hoped that there might be a question in relation to this article, because I know that, unlike support for economic development, there is unanimous support for the growth of tourism among Assembly members. That has been demonstrated on a number of occasions when it has been debated here. So I found the article on page 6, written by the city reporter, in reporting a speech by the assistant editor of the Canberra Times, Mr Waterford. It is a rather strange sort of article. It does jump about from place to place.
Mr Kaine: You should have heard the speech.
MR WHALAN: Certainly, if the article follows the speech, then there seems to be some lack of flow. The article suggests that particular jobs are based around speculative guesses about the potential of the tourist industry as an economic saviour of the city. The Government rejects the inference that is contained there, but there is also a further reference to employment in the tourist industry as being short-term jobs. The suggestion totally misunderstands the dynamics of the tourist industry and indeed the multiplier effects on other areas of employment.
Over recent years Canberra has demonstrated dramatic growth in all industry sectors associated with visitors to the ACT. More than 1,000 new hotel or motel rooms have been completed in the last several years, plus substantial investment in the refurbishing of existing premises such as the Country Comfort, Lakeside, Olims, Canberra Rex and the Travelodge. Associated with this has been the creation of hundreds of new permanent and part-time jobs in the accommodation industry. These jobs are not short-term jobs.
Visitor numbers at major attractions have grown steadily and received a strong boost during 1988. The new Parliament House and the National Science and Technology Centre have recently added substantially to Canberra's attractiveness. The new National Convention Centre, the Canberra Centre retail mall and the proposed Civic redevelopment will further broaden Canberra's appeal. A
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