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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 5 Hansard (13 May) . . Page.. 1262 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

Quite clearly, again this Government has failed to recognise that the priorities of an ACT government should be building what is already here, rewarding those who make the decision that Canberra is the place where they are going to build their business. Reward them and encourage them, and have them provide jobs in that manner. Instead, we throw money at any event that is willing to come to Canberra. Again, misguided and ignorant.

Mrs Carnell: Yes.

MR CORBELL: I am glad the Chief Minister agrees with me on that point.

Mrs Carnell: If we can get any new events to this town, I will be in it.

MR CORBELL: The Chief Minister talks about events. Let me give you one example, the National Folk Festival. Here is an event that has grown over the past five years and could desperately need increased funding this year to make it a truly national event. The Chief Minister and this Government have failed to support that event. They need very strong support, and they are not getting it from this Government. That is just another example of this Government's failure - - -

Mrs Carnell: At the opening they got up and said, "Thank you for the money, Chief Minister".

MR CORBELL: I am talking about future years. There is nothing in this budget for next year, Chief Minister. There is nothing in this budget for the following year. What about putting that money - $350,000 for events - into an event that is already here, instead of throwing it away at some sort of festival that may or may not come to Canberra and may not have any particular loyalty in Canberra? That is the point I want to make.

Advancing Canberra is another one of the Chief Minister's initiatives she has announced in this budget - $1.39m. What is this really all about? Is this about jobs? Is this about creating jobs in Canberra? Is this about direct labour market programs, direct intervention in the economy to create jobs or to train people? No, that is not what Advancing Canberra is about. Advancing Canberra is about promoting Canberra as a tourism, business, sporting and cultural destination. To me, it is completely misleading for this Government to put that amount of money into the Jobs Fund, because it is not about jobs, it is not about training, it is not about labour market programs; it is about an advertising campaign. That will not, on its own, create a single job, and for that reason I again say that it is an ignorant and misguided attempt - and a deliberate attempt, I would suggest - to mislead the Canberra community on the Jobs Fund.

Mrs Carnell: I will send this to the tourism industry.

MR CORBELL: If it is about tourism, then why did the Government not give the money to the newly created Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation? Is that not what that organisation is all about? Is the Canberra Tourism and Events Corporation not all about having one centralised body that will be the leader in promoting tourism in the ACT, promoting Canberra as a destination? A couple of weeks ago, when we were talking about the Tourism and Events Corporation, I heard the Minister talk about that.

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