Page 1103 - Week 04 - Thursday, 29 March 1990
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And, of course, we shall be encouraging national bodies to locate in Canberra.
The Government will seek to ensure that a good industrial relations climate exists in the ACT. A safe and stable working environment, where demand and supply for labour are in relative balance is an essential element for improving the business climate.
Another critical element of creating the right environment for business growth is improving the ACT's transport links. Road access from Sydney and Melbourne has been substantially upgraded, increasing opportunities for firms which rely on quick road access to the major cities. Deregulation of bus transport has made low cost individual travel much more accessible. The Government is working with NSW to ensure that further improvements are made in relation to regional roads. And, of course, airline deregulation later this year should bring far more responsive services to Canberra.
The other major economic infrastructure sector I want to refer to is energy. The success of the NSW Government's efforts to commercialise the generation and transmission of electricity will provide greater opportunities for the ACT to set its own energy policies. Similar commercial improvements in relation to natural gas, now being reviewed by a ministerial working party, responding to me, will add to these opportunities.
Major projects such as the very fast train and the Civic Square development are being actively pursued by this Government. Such projects create new opportunities well beyond their immediate impacts and should be seen as levers to shift the ACT economy to higher ground.
In our efforts to stimulate development we must recognise that the problems which must be addressed are not confined or constrained by our political boundaries. We must look outward, not inward.
We must recognise the important links which exist between us and our region. We must develop the contacts and structures so vital for a genuine partnership with the key participants in our region's economy. Finally, we must move together to exploit aggressively those opportunities which are to our mutual benefit.
The ACT and NSW governments have decided to produce a regional economic development strategy for the ACT and south-east region of NSW. This is the first time a study of this magnitude has been undertaken and marks the beginning of a new era in NSW-ACT relationships. It also recognises the importance of the south-east region to the future economic development of the ACT.
The Government is currently preparing an economic development policy paper that will set out, in some detail,
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