Page 3582 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 19 October 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
was handed down. What I would indicate, Madam Speaker, is that the range of scenarios outlined in this report is wide. The options which we are given to achieve the outcomes are clearly identified in the broad sense of a strategy.
When we talk about economic activity in the ACT and in the region - I think that this report talks about the regional context within which Canberra resides - when we talk about economic development issues, we talk about a thriving tourism industry, we talk about a thriving business sector and we talk about quality issues associated with a thriving community. I have great concern about actually being able to achieve a number of those outcomes. I think I alluded to that concern last Thursday afternoon, Madam Speaker, when I raised a number of concerns concerning the operation of the Canberra Airport.
I think it is recognised that, for regional centres such as the Australian Capital Territory and the south-east region to prosper in the manner outlined in the 2020 vision, we need to have viable, sustainable and workable solutions within our transport systems. If you take a look around Australia at the most successful demonstration of regional economic development, it invariably exists where you have strong transport infrastructures. That transport infrastructure should not be reliant upon one particular mode. It does not rely singularly upon the road capacity. It does not ride singularly, if you will pardon the pun, on the issue of the rail network, and it does not ride singularly on air links and air transport. In fact, each of those in its own way is important. If you look at regions within Australia where economic development has been exemplary over the last decade you find that there is, in general, a substantial input from at least one of the transport modes. The perfect example, of course, is far north Queensland. In far north Queensland we see a thriving and growing industry in the rural sector, in farming, in horticulture and so on. We also see a thriving industry in tourism-related development, not just international tourism-related development but national tourism-related development.
Here in the Australian Capital Territory we are blessed with being in a position in the south-east region of Australia where we can provide a gateway to all of the types of things that I have just talked about. We can provide a gateway and access into a region that has, on the south coast, as readily recognised, some of the best fishing in Australia, some of the best waters for fish in Australia, in particular the types of seafood known throughout South-East Asia. We also have a thriving agricultural products industry in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, from the traditional big exports such as wheat and rice to the specialist-type export industries, fruits in particular, and other products which are time critical in terms of their transport. Australia has achieved wide export markets in not only Asia but also Europe and the Americas, but one of the problems we have is the tyranny of distance between Australia and those ports.
We could, I believe, secure expanded activity in the regional context for those exports were we to achieve, as at least envisaged in the 2020 document, an international-style gateway within this region. That does not necessarily say that it has to be Canberra. My preference, and I think the preference of most of the members of this Assembly, would be that it occur in Canberra, but in order to service the regional economic issues it should be here within the south-east region. Places such as Badgery's Creek and Kingsford-Smith are not suitable to do so when you consider some of the logistical issues associated with those areas.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .