Page 2450 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 6 August 1991
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representing Canberra as "the natural capital". That is well illustrated in photographs, brochures and material in magazines. And what kind of place does it show Canberra to be? A place of peace, of order, of nature, of the environment, of buildings in a natural setting, of our country heritage, of our bush heritage - the natural capital. That is what we should have at the centre of our tourist industry; and, of course, also, the national capital. I recognise that there is one element of our national capital which is related to arms; and that is the Australian Defence Force Academy, and related activities such as those at Duntroon. But, happily, even that academy is linked to a university, to a non-arms-related university.
Setting that aside, basically, another of our natural assets, in the context in which we live as a tourist centre, is that we are the national capital, aiming at the best our country has to offer. The best we have to offer is in education, and in science and technology of a constructive nature. Let us think of the claimed possible loss of one of those exhibitions, an energy exhibition. I do not believe for a moment that some energy exhibition is going to leave Canberra. We are a natural centre for such a display. We offer here a most logical place for such a national and international exhibition, and I hope that in due course - we already have a great deal of this - we will be a centre for medical exhibitions and conventions on a grand scale.
I can think of many conventions that have been held in this city. There was one for Asian studies - literally thousands of people were here. Why did they come for Asian studies? They came because our universities have particular skills in that area. It is also, of course, a natural centre - and let us stress that word "natural" - for national, regional and international cooperation. Let us stress the word "cooperation".
In this respect I would like to see Canberra compared to a city such as Geneva. Indeed, the aspect of our lake and the spout and things that happen here have some similarities to Geneva. Alternatively, to look at a very different part of the world, Canberra could be compared to New York - not the whole city, but that area of New York which houses the United Nations. That is the kind of image we have. That is what our tourist industry should grow on.
I want to make a particular point here. This may seem exaggerated, but I ask you to look at it in a very great historical perspective. As a result of the events in Canberra in January and February of this year, our city, the city of Canberra, may be added to a list of such cities as Nicea in the fourth century of the Christian era, out of which came the Nicene Creed; Trent in the sixteenth century, out of which came the Council of Trent; Edinburgh in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; and Vancouver in our own time - another centre for the World Council of Churches, which met in our city.
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