Page 3819 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 16 October 1991
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Perhaps more important is what we are doing about it. I am sure Mr Kaine realises that he was in government for the vast majority of the June quarter 1991. Whilst I take his question in good faith, it is nevertheless the case that he was responsible for a large proportion of the figures in that June 1991 report.
I have responded in the Estimates Committee to very detailed questioning on the tourism budget. It is my belief, as I said to the Estimates Committee, that, if the Tourism Commission is able to arrange its restructuring and manage its own resources in the way that I know it wishes to do, it will have very close to the same amount of money available to spend on tourism marketing this year as it had last year, and I think that is a good thing. The restructuring was commenced, and quite sensibly, when Mr Duby was Minister. It is being continued whilst I am Minister. It still represents a management challenge; nevertheless, it is going ahead, and going ahead quite smoothly.
I have also appointed new commissioners to the Tourism Commission, in response to requests, largely from the private sector. I have confidence that the newly appointed commission will be able to achieve a very good result for tourism. I acknowledge its importance as an ACT industry. It is certainly my belief that it has a great deal of potential in the ACT. Whilst I have the ministry I will be doing everything I can to encourage the growth and development of the industry.
MR KAINE: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. That was a long answer to a short question, but it did not answer the question. Since there is this serious downturn in tourism, which must eventually reflect in the rate of unemployment and the rate of turnover in our retail stores, does the Chief Minister not agree that, since these statistics were in her hands before the budget was presented, it was a bad time to decimate the Tourism Commission?
MS FOLLETT: I believe that I have answered Mr Kaine's question very fully. I stress again that these figures were not in my hands before the budget. These figures were in my hands less than a week ago, and I released them as soon as they were in my hands. So, you have had them for exactly the same amount of time as I have. I say again that the figures are for the June quarter 1991 and that Labor took government in June 1991. So, for the vast majority of the three months of that quarter, you were in government.
I have explained the action that has been taken over the tourism budget. I explained it at great length in the Estimates Committee and I have explained it twice in this Assembly. I again express my confidence that we will get a very good outcome for ACT tourism. I can go into greater detail - I suspect that that is not what members wish -
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