Page 3538 - Week 13 - Thursday, 26 November 1992
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Mr Lamont: I rise on a point of order. That is three untruths, Mr Deputy Speaker.
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, it is one-and-a-half. Three half-untruths are one-and-a-half.
MR DE DOMENICO: I also remind the house, Mr Deputy Speaker, that the Commonwealth Games - - -
Mr Lamont: Can he withdraw them?
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do not uphold the point of order.
MR DE DOMENICO: The Commonwealth Games 2002 Committee has already suggested a feasibility study into sporting facilities. That feasibility study seems to have had the previous support of the Deputy Chief Minister, the Minister for Sport. I quote from the Canberra Times of Saturday, 25 July 1992:
The work of Canberra management consultant Ernst and Young, -
who, by the way, also do the feasibility studies for all the Olympic Games bids -
the report is the result of a request from the Minister for Sport, Wayne Berry, and could be the catalyst for a full-scale campaign to capture the biggest event of any kind to be staged in the ACT.
That is what Mr Berry said; but obviously Mr Lamont and Mr Berry did not talk about it, as they do not talk about various other things from time to time. The Commonwealth Games 2002 Committee has already suggested a feasibility study into sporting facilities, to kick the ball off - excuse the pun. The Chief Minister's Economic Development Division should be able to undertake cooperatively such a study in-house, for a significantly reduced amount of money, as the resources to carry out this study are already in place. Once again, I commend the Chief Minister's Economic Development Division for already looking into the feasibility. Well done.
The Liberals suggest that, whilst we support the Sydney Olympic bid, we also should tentatively look at the Commonwealth Games 2002 - not as an end in itself, but as a means of attracting attention and sporting events to Canberra. The Chief Minister is aware that her events unit is supporting the Youth World Cup soccer tournament. This event is of the calibre which Canberra wants to attract and could do so in the process of working towards the Commonwealth Games bid. The Youth World Cup soccer tournament attracts a television audience of billions; four years of qualifying series now culminate in Canberra, with 16 of the world's top teams selected from 180 countries. I say proudly that Australia is included.
Canberra will fill with international visitors, who will spend their money here and take home pleasant impressions of Canberra. The Territory will benefit from the huge media exposure. The Kanga Cup international youth soccer series will be held in Canberra for the next five years. Children and their parents from Europe and America will visit Canberra each year. Then there is the World Cup showjumping and the Esanda Rally - major events with significant benefits - here in Canberra.
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