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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 4 Hansard (16 April) . . Page.. 948 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

In other words, Senator Cook sacked 352 people and called that a shifting of priorities. I asked Ms Follett:

Chief Minister, given that a large number of these jobs will be eliminated in Canberra, do you concur with Senator Cook that 352 people losing their jobs from the CSIRO is a simple "shifting of scientific priorities", or do you concede that it is a shifting of employment priorities?

Interestingly, Ms Follett, in part of her answer, said:

... I consider that it is perfectly legitimate for the Commonwealth and for any other government, including my own, to seek to operate as efficiently as it is humanly possible to do. We must ensure that the community gets value for its money.

I will table that too, Mr Speaker. That was Rosemary Follett. It is disappointing, although hardly surprising, that those opposite would jump on the speculation for their own grubby political purposes, with little regard for the damage this beat-up might do to the economy. There is no disputing the dampening effect that any election has on an economy, and the ACT is no different. Whilst the Carnell Government has created 2,300 new jobs in its first year of government - I repeat, 2,300 new jobs in its first year of government - there has been a levelling out in the economic indicators more recently. There is no denying that. Rather than sitting back and accepting the impact of the recent Federal election, this Government will work towards creating a viable and emerging economy.

Mr Whitecross has recently called for my resignation, amongst others, over what he said was my lack of consideration for public sector job cuts. I was misquoted - never let the facts get in the way of a good story; is that not right, Mr Whitecross? What I did say was that this Government recognises that the public sector in this town has been shrinking for some time, under both a Federal Labor government and an ACT Labor government. It is time we recognised the importance of the private sector in the ACT's future. This Government has already done much to ensure that Canberra is well positioned for growth in the private sector. The initiatives funded through the budget, announced in September 1995, are part of a comprehensive and coherent program squarely aimed at actively fostering a strong and vibrant private sector in the Canberra region. It will generate employment, investment and income through developing and marketing our industry potential. Two central elements underline the Government's strategy. The first is our determination to develop a strong partnership between the public sector, business and the community, which is fundamental to sustained economic development. The second is our role in setting the broad economic direction and providing a competitive environment by aiding rather than hindering business growth.

We have $1m to undertake more aggressive marketing of the Canberra region. It will be used to bid for major events which have significant business, cultural, sporting and tourism benefits. We have also established CanTrade as a major advisory body to the ACT Government, providing expertise and advice from senior levels of the business sector. A significant investment will also be made in developing Canberra's

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