Page 6027 - Week 18 - Thursday, 12 December 1991
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economic and educational activities in the Territory. In other words, we should encourage and develop those industries which arise from the fact that we are the national capital. That is our special skill. We should make the most of it.
In terms of appropriate industries for Canberra, we should also urge the development of industrial and related economic activities and services common to any large city of almost 300,000 people - housing, provision of goods and services, provision of health, education and urban services; in other words, the day-to-day work of this Assembly. In that particular category, I am willing to say that I think all parties in the Assembly have tried to play a role. But that is not the only role we must play.
The third area of appropriate industries is the education and research and cultural industries area. I am using the word "industries" in connection with them. We can think of them merely in terms of education in the purest way, research in the purest way or cultural activities in the purest way. But our long-term future may lie in the direction of seeing all those activities as industries. At the moment we are partly stymied in this matter because the Commonwealth will give us no role in relation to universities in Canberra. At the moment we have at least four, and some would say six, tertiary institutions, also an extensive TAFE system, also the many research and scientific activities arising from the CSIRO and many major government departments - geology, for example.
We also have a growing appeal to an overseas market of students. So, it can be said - as we think about our education, research and cultural industries - that brain power is our most valuable asset. To that extent, we might liken ourselves to some aspects of Singapore. We must resist any attempts to limit or frustrate that particular industry. It is our future. Again consider the spin-off industries around Cambridge, England and Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stanford, California. In those three cases, because of their superb developments in computing and mathematics, in all kinds of areas of science and the social sciences, around the city there are rings of industries which come from that central industry of education and research.
In terms of the cultural industry, we are so fortunate to have a new national theatre festival, as well as splendid offerings through the National Gallery and the Film and Sound Archive, and we have new national events comparable with Floriade. I would say to the Labor and Liberal coalition that they have done well in that particular area. I remember Mr Duby's particular enthusiasm about that project. The arts represents a very special industry, as Mr Wood, Mr Stefaniak and I discovered on our small Select Committee on Cultural Activities and Facilities. The industry itself generates millions of dollars and employs many people. It is a very worthwhile activity not only in itself but as an industrial activity as well.
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