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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 3118 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

I would defy Ms Tucker or anybody else to have handled that process better. There may have been things on the margins we could have done better. I understand that a public stall in the shops went up a few days later than it should have done; I regret that. We engaged in a very extensive, very careful pre-planning process. Since that proposal first went out, I understand many residents of Ainslie have moderated their views and the concern out there is not as powerful as it was before. But we were trying to deal with something which the former Government, in particular, did not do very well. If it was just another application for a Kingston development, they said, "Go right ahead; chuck another one in". In the case of the Kingston Women's Bowling Club they said, "Sure; go ahead with three storeys". Those sorts of proposals, those sorts of things, were happening piecemeal. We said, "No; let us try to plan a different exercise where we front-load the consultation; not when the application comes in, but in advance". We got criticised. The moral of the story is: It is very easy to criticise when you do not have to actually do it. But the exercise is much more difficult than members, particularly those sitting over there, might imagine.

QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, can you explain why there was no open tender process for the contract awarded to J. Walter Thompson for the recently launched Feel the Power of Canberra campaign?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, all you can do is sigh at those opposite. The fact that we wanted to have the world's top person in the branding area means that those people opposite want to have a go at it. The Government recognised the need for a coordinated marketing and promotional campaign to be undertaken in order for the ACT to compete with other States for major business, tourism and events opportunities. I would have thought everybody in this place believed that not only did we need an advertising campaign but also we had to change the way people think and feel about the national capital. In that context, and given the experience of J. Walter Thompson in branding cities, such as Atlanta for the 1996 Olympics - we have seen their creative work, not just in Australia but right around the world - it was decided that they would be put on for at least some part of the contract.

A local firm, City Graphics, has been chosen by tender to assist the Government in implementing the campaign, and I understand that MA@D Communications - another local company - are doing a similar job for the Tourism and Events Corporation. We need this marketing and promotional approach to be the best that is possible, and that is what it will be with the, I think, good partnership of local companies and the world's best.

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