Page 2449 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 1991
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DR KINLOCH (8.30): I congratulate the Labor Party for its stand on not allowing the National Exhibition Centre to be used as a site for exhibitions the primary purpose of which is the displaying, whether for sale or otherwise, of arms, armaments, munitions and other equipment used for killing our fellow human beings. Thank you, Labor Party. I do not believe for a moment that this should be described as ideologically left wing. Is the environmental movement left wing? Is concern for our city left wing? I really do not care whether it is right wing or left wing. I am middle wing myself. I think left, right and middle can all join in supporting this particular action of the Labor Party.
I only regret that the one already planned cannot easily be cancelled. I will, in a weird way, welcome that, because I know of the very interesting demonstrations that will be held and that will call for the police that Mr Connolly has mentioned. But it will also mean that our Quaker protest group there will have a chance to talk with those people - they are mainly men - to try to get them to see that, instead of going home at night and having to tell their children that what they do is sell arms, they could ask themselves whether this is not a time for them to change their lifestyle, to change their work, to move into other careers, to move perhaps into environmental work - work of a positive nature for humankind.
So, I have to disagree with my colleague Bill Stefaniak. I understand his interest in guns and so forth; so be it. I do not believe for a moment that there will be enormous damage done to Canberra, as is said in the matter of public importance. Quite to the contrary, I will now put the case to say that the ALP has done well by the ACT as a convention centre. Indeed, we will come out of this as a more effective tourist centre, not damaged as a tourist centre.
First of all, many Canberrans will be relieved that our city will not have to be the centre for this trade. But I think that is a selfish reason, and I think we should set that aside. We need to deal with the charge made against the Labor Party by the Liberal division. But, above all, there is this proper refusal of the ALP to countenance Aidex. I want to talk at some length about tourism. One of the prime requirements for a successful tourist industry is to build on the special features of an area, a region or a city. A tourist centre takes the things it is good at, and builds on them; a ski resort for skiing, Naples for the bay. You could take a whole range of things that cities build on. What we need to do is build on the particular images of our city.
As we do that, if we have appropriate things for our tourist industry, we benefit the economics of our tourist industry. What, then, are the special advantages of Canberra as a tourist centre? I very much like the brilliant publicity campaign run by our tourist people
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