Page 3224 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 18 November 1992
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say, is establish in the ACT strong industries that will be permanent and that will provide a sound financial base for the Territory and a sound employment base for the Territory. These are generally value adding industries - industries that will provide the Territory with a bright outlook. However, that is not to say that tourism is not important in that equation.
Mr Lamont made reference in his remarks to the need to have a continuum of activities throughout the year to overcome that seasonality, if you like, in the nature of tourism; to provide us with a succession of events to keep tourists coming to the Territory, to keep the hotels full, to keep the tourist attractions going and the shops in good financial shape and so on. I accept that argument. I might point out that he did not say in his remarks that many of the initiatives he talked about were, in fact, initiatives of the Alliance Government. Tourism has not just suddenly become an issue or has not suddenly become a reality in the ACT with the advent of the Labor Party Government. It has been a matter of concern and endeavour on the part of successive governments, no less the Alliance Government than any others.
We realise that the first major encounter that the tourism industry in this Territory had with the new Follett Labor Government last year was a massive cut in the tourism budget. It is clearly a matter of concern that that cut occurred. It was able to recover pretty well in the circumstances, I might say; nonetheless, how much better would it have been able to recover if it had not had to deal with that cut?
I want to say a few other things before I finish. I think that there is some exaggeration in the figures. There is some undue weight given to those figures. Mr Kaine made reference to "tourists" who come here, who in fact stay with other people and do not go to many tourist attractions. In fact, they are simply guests or visitors rather than proper tourists. They obviously have some impact on the financial health of the Territory, but not nearly as much as a tourist who comes and stays in a hotel, goes to the sights, uses the restaurants and perhaps takes a tour.
Federal Parliament is another good example of a "tourist" generating activity which does not really benefit the Territory very much. I have estimated that something in excess of 500 people come to the Territory every time Federal Parliament sits, either to attend meetings of the parliament or to advise those people, or as wives or lobbyists or whatever; but those sorts of visitors, I suspect, do not create a very powerful impact on the overall health of our economy. They certainly have some impact, but not as great as we might imagine.
Finally, I want to make reference to Fightback. Fightback is being attacked in snide indirect comments by some of those opposite, without any real substance. No-one has actually said what it is about Fightback that they do not like.
Mr Connolly: Fifteen per cent on every tourist service.
MR HUMPHRIES: Well, here we have it - 15 per cent on tourist services. We have this ignorant interjection, failing to take account - - -
Mr Connolly: No; it is what the tourist industry says.
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