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

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 7 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 2106 ..

MS TUCKER (continuing):

That means looking at the impact that hotels have, for example, on energy use, water use and waste. I was not happy with the response in the Estimates Committee about how the Government was addressing these concerns. They referred to Green Globe, which I had not heard of and have asked for more information on. I am still to see anything very real in answer to that request. I have been told that it is a broad concept being looked at as a system of trying to integrate environmental concerns. That is not a really highly developed procedure, obviously.

They also referred to some hotel scheme to bring in more energy efficiency. That is great; but I would remind members that we did put environmental sustainability into the objectives of the tourism group, so we will be continuing to monitor and to pressure the Government to bring this in as a fundamental aspect of the work so that we can indeed produce a tourism industry which is sustainable. I remember asking this question in the Estimates Committee in the first year, when Mr De Domenico was Minister. He was not able to answer the question satisfactorily.

We need to look at relative numbers, the impact of numbers and at what point, depending on resource use, it is actually not in the interests of the ACT to increase tourist numbers. We really need to be monitoring this as we go, or we can end up having a situation which is out of control. As I am sure members know, when Mr De Domenico said in that first year of the Estimates Committee process that the market would sort it out it was a totally inappropriate response. The market destroys the environment. It does not sort it out. There are many places in the world to which you can go and see the tragic results of that. I believe that we have a good opportunity to put together a group such as the tourism group to forward plan and consider the ecological sustainability of tourism in this city.

MR KAINE (Minister for Urban Services and Minister for Tourism) (4.25): I would like to briefly address the matters raised by Ms Tucker. I share her concern that, in the interests of the people who live here, in attracting tourists to Canberra we should not damage the city. Certainly, members will be well aware of my concern that some of our natural areas should not be opened up to nature-based tourism until proper control infrastructure is in place to make sure that tourists going to look at these natural features do not destroy them.

I appreciate the constructive input Ms Tucker has made to this debate. She will know, I am sure, that one of the things with which the new board of the Tourism Corporation will be charged is to take account of the potential damage that tourism can do. They will be specifically charged with the responsibility for that. It will require, in essence, that the sort of evaluation and assessment that Ms Tucker speaks of be in fact undertaken. Bear in mind, of course, that a lot of work has already been done in the parks and conservation area, which Mr Humphries runs, to make sure that we do maintain an ecologically sustainable tourism industry. I appreciate the comments. I am as concerned about these matters as Ms Tucker is.

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