Page 6211 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991
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MR KAINE (Leader of the Opposition) (4.07): I do find it rather odd that Dr Kinloch stands up as an apologist for the Residents Rally. In all fairness, Dr Kinloch has had a firm opinion about the casino, a personal opinion, right from day one, and I respect that view; but he can hardly say that the Residents Rally has opposed the casino. The Liberal Party does not, and we make no apologies for that.
Members of the Residents Rally sat in the joint party room of the Alliance Government and agreed to the process which has just led to a decision by this Government on the establishment of a casino in Canberra. One member of the Rally sat in the Cabinet and agreed to that process. So, Dr Kinloch cannot now stand up and say that the Residents Rally opposes this casino, even for one reason, let alone eight or 10. He may speak for himself, but it astounds me that he can pretend to speak for other members of the Rally on this issue. It is rather interesting that Dr Kinloch just put forward a motion talking about a matter of public importance: The challenges for the ACT Legislative Assembly in 1992. I think the greatest challenge to the Legislative Assembly will be removed in the election of 1992 when the Rally is no longer represented in this place.
I think that it is absurd to suggest, as Dr Kinloch has, that this proposal is going to destroy Canberra. He talks about other forms of industry, and of course he is right. We should be developing other forms of industry. But the fact that we have agreed to put a casino in Canberra does not preclude the Government from doing all of those things, and the private sector from doing all of those things that Dr Kinloch is talking about. They are totally irrelevant to the argument.
The Liberal Party has pressed and will continue to press for development of the private sector, will continue to press for the development of those industries where we already have the economic resources available to us to proceed with them, and we will press for the development of new industries, not only in the Territory but also in the surrounding region, to bring together all of the resources of a community of 500,000 to 600,000 people and to become something of an economic entity here, and an economic entity with some force behind it.
Mr Deputy Speaker, the Liberal Party, as I said, supports this proposal. We have never opposed the notion of a small casino in Canberra. We have pursued that process, set in place initially by a Labor Government, to put a casino on section 19. That always was, I think, a bit ambitious and that is the reason why it failed.
To establish a small casino along the lines now proposed, I think, is a sensible thing. It is not going to solve our economic and financial problems. It has always been put forward by the Liberals on the basis of its being a small casino and just one more thing that tourists can do when
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