Page 562 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 20 March 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
This brings me to Mr Robert Macklin, the author of this disgusting article that I have mentioned during the course of my statement today. I am sure my colleagues in this Assembly will be interested to learn that a company, Armak Productions Pty Limited, of which Mr Macklin is described as the managing director, received in early 1988 a $50,000 grant from the Federal Government to produce a series of television programs entitled "Bushranger Country", designed to promote, amongst other things, Canberra and its surrounding region. Unfortunately, some two years later, Armak has failed to produce anything, including, I might add, the $50,000. Accordingly, I am advised that a letter of demand has been sent to Armak Productions Pty Limited seeking full repayment of these moneys.
A man with these credentials should not be taken seriously. Indeed, having had access for two years to a large slice of the very precious promotional funds we have available to promote the ACT, I would have thought Mr Macklin had done sufficient damage to the local tourism industry and therefore there was no need for him to have penned what I regard as a misleading and self-serving article. But I am sure the members of the Assembly will now understand the basis for these misleading allegations.
I sought leave to make a statement today as I felt it was time to put on record the Government's support for its tourism marketing operations. I urge all my colleagues in the Assembly and all the members of the ACT tourism industry to take a long, hard, objective look at the operations of our Tourist Bureau with a view to providing more support to a group of dedicated professionals who have one aim in their working life, and that is to improve Canberra's prospects as a tourist destination.
MR SPEAKER: Do you wish to table that statement, Mr Duby?
MR DUBY: I will be, Mr Speaker.
MR SPEAKER: Do you wish to move that the Assembly takes note of the paper?
MR DUBY: No, I do not.
Mr Whalan: I move that the debate on the statement be adjourned and made an order of the day for the next day of sitting.
MR SPEAKER: I am afraid you cannot do that, Mr Whalan.
Mr Whalan: Well, Mr Berry just moved that it be done, Mr Speaker.
Mr Collaery: We did not hear that.
MR SPEAKER: Only a Minister can so move.
Mr Berry: So move what?
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .