Page 3223 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 18 November 1992
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own Tourism Commission in its latest report quotes the Chief Minister as saying that it was a great success, and it was a great success because it brought $9.5m into our coffers. I think it is scandalous. I think we have a long way to go yet, Mr Deputy Speaker, in terms of a successful tourism campaign and what people coming to Canberra really are about.
MR HUMPHRIES (4.04): I want to confirm that I believe that some of the things that we have achieved in tourism in the last few years have been quite commendable. I think they have been quite successful. They have achieved their aim.
Mr Kaine: They were more successful under the Liberals than under Labor.
MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed. I will come to that in a moment. Certainly, they have been successes in any man's language; but, Mr Deputy Speaker, I have to say that the emphasis put on this by members of the Government is a little unwarranted. It is like putting out a press release about how wonderful the rain is or, "Is it not great that the sun rose today?". There is a certain inevitability about some of the benefits we have received from other things outside the control of the ACT Government for which I think it is a little bit unrealistic for the ACT Government to claim credit. That is what Mr Lamont and Mrs Grassby were doing.
Mr Lamont: That is not what the MPI says; that is not correct.
MR HUMPHRIES: The record stands for itself. I think that is what they were saying. Mr Deputy Speaker, this debate has been a bit unfocused, in a way. It has ranged across all sorts of things to do with tourism. I have a certain unease about the enormous emphasis placed on tourism as a saviour for the ACT's economic woes. I think tourism is a tremendously important industry. It must be encouraged and the Government must take every step it can to remove impediments to the establishment of a strong, effective and responsive tourist industry. How much it puts in to make that happen is another matter. There is a very real question about getting a return for government investment in that kind of activity, but that is another question.
The concern I have is that a certain cargo cult develops about tourism - the belief that jobs in tourism are long term, established, will provide secure employment and will go on and on. I have to say that we all recognise that tourism is not an industry like other industries. The tourist industry and tourism jobs are seasonal in many cases; they are volatile and they are subject to dramatic changes in all sorts of things, from the political scene to world events.
Mr Connolly: If the GST comes along they are all in jeopardy.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: GST stands for "Go Sell Tourism", Mr Connolly. Please continue, Mr Humphries.
MR HUMPHRIES: Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I travelled, as members well know, last year during the Gulf War and there was a very dramatic effect on tourism. That worked to my benefit because I was able to travel around without having to compete with many other people. I must say, Mr Deputy Speaker, that that kind of impact can affect Australia adversely from time to time. Those factors are a matter of concern and we cannot put too many eggs in that one basket, as I think Mr De Domenico said. What we do need to do, I have to
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