Page 3533 - Week 13 - Thursday, 26 November 1992
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the trip from Canberra to the Homebush Olympic village could be less than two hours, or something close to that. The people on that list understand that then, even more than now, the proximity of the Sydney Olympics will be of tremendous import to Canberra's commercial sector.
The one group whose name does not appear, however, is the Kaine Opposition. Certainly, it never appears in anything but the faintest print in relation to support for this bid. They want us to believe that they are lukewarm to the Sydney bid because they have bigger plans for the Commonwealth Games bid. Frankly, this is just a dangerous political game and one which could be very costly to Canberra, if not Australia. Let us face it; this Opposition did a pretty good job in helping to undermine the Melbourne bid when they jumped on the negative band wagon with their soul mate, Mr Kennett, and they look set to do the same for Sydney. A good example of their tardiness was their active discouragement of the Follett Government's upgrading of Bruce Stadium, a stadium now acknowledged as being of Olympic standard.
The possibility of the Commonwealth Games is not a substitute for the practical benefits that can flow from Canberra supporting the Sydney Olympic bid. I would like to think that Canberra could host the Commonwealth Games in the year 2002; but I am not blind, as some on the other side of this room appear to be, to the very real financial costs - - -
Ms Ellis: One appears to be; the rest of them are not.
MR LAMONT: The fact that there is only one member across the other side of this chamber is indicative of the type of support the Liberal Opposition have for the Sydney 2000 bid. There is only one of them sitting in the chamber to discuss this matter of public importance. When you are in the chair, Mr Deputy Speaker, you are there, I take it, in a non-partisan role. Only one of them is prepared to stay in this chamber to discuss this matter of public importance.
Mr Berry: He has his one eye on things, though.
MR LAMONT: That is very true. His one eye is probably kept on the matter. The remote possibility of a Commonwealth Games in Canberra is not a substitute for the practical benefits which can flow to Canberra from supporting the Sydney Olympic bid. As I have said, however, I am not blind to the very real financial costs and other impediments that are being placed in the way of a successful Commonwealth Games bid being launched by the ACT Government, for that is who would have to do it. For example, the bid preparation cost for the Commonwealth Games would be $6m.
Mr De Domenico: About $10m.
MR LAMONT: That is $6m just to prepare the bid. There is another $4m in between the time the bid is submitted and the time it is determined, so I will accept your $10m, Mr De Domenico. That is $10m on a bid for Games which every single pundit close to the determination of this matter has acknowledged will not come to Canberra, even if they do put in the bid.
Mr De Domenico: Not so.
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