Page 2550 - Week 08 - Thursday, 19 August 1993
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MR DE DOMENICO (4.49): Very briefly, I join my colleague Mr Westende in congratulating the appointees to the board.
Mr Wood: And the Government, too.
MR DE DOMENICO: And the Government, yes. All members of the board are well known to most people in this house. Mr Charles Wright, as we all know, is a prominent member of the racing fraternity, the business fraternity and the public relations fraternity, and he and his spouse have been involved from time to time in various businesses in this town that people are aware of.
Mrs Betty Churcher needs no introduction. She has done a magnificent job for the National Gallery. Ron Murray is a well-known coach owner and business person and has been chairman of the tourism awards judging panel for many years and has done a fabulous job there. Samir Harmouche, of course, is a household name, as the general manager of the highly credentialled Hyatt Hotel, which has won national awards. Then there are Tony Dale, Elizabeth Whitelaw and Lyn Smith.
Colin Adrian is an interesting one. The Chief Minister might want to comment on whether Colin is still on the board, since he has been transferred out of the economic development area into the Department of the Environment, Land and Planning. One would hope that he is still on the board because his involvement in that department would make a wonderful contribution to the board of the Tourism Commission, noting the move towards ecotourism and also Dr Adrian's obviously great experience in the area of economics and other things. David Lawrance has done a fantastic job, I believe, in pulling together the tourism industry. I think it really needed it, and Mr Lawrance's appointment as chief executive has certainly meant that it is done a lot better than it used to be done before.
The other comment that needs to be made is on the excellent job done by three persons who have left the board: Vern Davies, well known in this town over a number of years, has done a fantastic job and will continue to work very hard for the tourism industry; Shirley Rogerson, who owns the Monaro Motel in Kingston, is someone I had the pleasure of working very closely with in a prior life, when I was involved in the tourism awards; and Don Hood, the former manager of the Pavilion and Lakeside hotels.
That being said, I think the appointments are, on the whole, very good ones. I look forward to working closely with them, as I think all members of this Assembly do, to make sure that one of our most important industries continues to flourish and employ more people, especially young people, and also to put Canberra on the map - even more than it is now - as one of the best tourist destinations in this country.
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer) (4.52), in reply: Mr Deputy Speaker, it is a great shame that Mr Westende sought, in speaking on this matter, to cast a slur on all members of the tourism board simply because he apparently disagrees with one of those appointments. I find Mr Westende's comments unworthy of him and unworthy of this Assembly. I have a strong belief that the tourism board that has been appointed is extremely well qualified and extremely capable, and I believe that we have before us the evidence that they are getting on with the job.
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