Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 11 Hansard (12 December) . . Page.. 2887 ..

MRS CARNELL: Mr Connolly asked me a question with regard to superannuation payouts of community medical practitioners. I table that response.

MRS CARNELL (Chief Minister) (3.12): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the mission report of the 1995 ACT business delegation to Japan, and I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

Mr Speaker, I am very pleased to present this ministerial statement to the Assembly today and to talk about the visit by the ACT business delegation to Japan which took place between 3 November 1995 and 11 November 1995. Mr Speaker, the 16-member delegation included representatives from both the private sector and the Government and followed an invitation from the mayor of Nara to launch the inaugural Canberra wine fair, a promotion of Canberra region food and wine products. I think it is important to place on record my appreciation of the work done by the delegates to raise our profile in Japan. They were excellent ambassadors for our city and for the Canberra region, acting as a small cohesive and united group actively marketing Canberra's many attributes. They worked hard to establish our credentials in the minds of our hosts at the many meetings we attended.

The delegation set out to identify potential export opportunities for Canberra region business in the Kansai region and particularly to promote wine and food products; to improve awareness in the Kansai region of Canberra's strengths, particularly in business, tourism, education, sports and advanced technology; and to assist in the promotion of Canberra region businesses currently operating in the Kansai region and generally to raise the profile of the Canberra region in Nara and in the wider Kansai region. The delegation was not sales orientated. It did, however, have the objective of gaining exposure for those Canberra companies currently marketing their products and services in Japan. Our major focus, given that many of the delegation's members were from the private sector, was on encouraging trade and economic exchange between the two regions.

I believe that we were very successful in achieving our aims, and a number of significant opportunities have emerged as a result of the delegation's activities. To realise them, we need a commitment from the private sector. Mr Mark Baker, the president of the ACT Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the delegation's other private sector members have agreed to follow up these initiatives and opportunities and to regularly advise the ACT Government on their ongoing progress.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .