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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (23 September) . . Page.. 3119 ..

MR BERRY: I ask a supplementary question, Mr Speaker, again directed to the Chief Minister. Will the Chief Minister provide by the close of business today details as to the contract awarded to J. Walter Thompson for the Feel the Power of Canberra campaign? Can the Chief Minister confirm now that the value of the contract is between $50,000 and $80,000?

MRS CARNELL: Mr Speaker, again, I cannot believe those opposite. Their level of negativity is just stunning. Here we had a launch yesterday that had universal acclaim, at least at the event. We had coverage in quite a number of major national newspapers. We even had John Laws talking about it this morning, for better or for worse. We have Sydney radio stations talking about this. We have had everybody from the tourism industry through to business talking about this campaign. All that tends to indicate to me that we are achieving something here. Again, the likes of Peter Harvey, Carla Zampatti and Ita Buttrose coming on board for Canberra, for feeling the power of the national capital, I think, is exciting. Mr Speaker, $50,000 was paid to J. Walter Thompson for its work in 1996-97. They have recently been re-engaged for 1997-98 for a similar amount of money to manage the project, the implementation of the campaign, working with local people.

MR CORBELL: Mr Speaker, my question is also to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, can you confirm that the Feel the Power of Canberra television advertisement will be shown only in the ACT and surrounding region between now and the end of this year? Can you further explain why no interstate advertising space is planned, or has been placed, for the remainder of this year?

MRS CARNELL: Mainly because what Mr Corbell has said is wrong; but, then, that is not an unusual circumstance. Mr Speaker, the strategy that has been adopted for television advertising for the Feel the Power of Canberra campaign will see 30-second and 60-second ads run on Canberra and regional television for an initial two-week period. The cost of this element of the campaign is a big $15,000. I am pleased to say that each of the stations involved has been keen to embrace the campaign and is giving significant air time to ads, at no cost to government or to the ACT.

The second phase of the campaign will be to see the advertisement run nationally, with a particular emphasis on the Sydney market. We would envisage this occurring within the next few weeks. As well, we already have two private sector companies on board. Those who were at the launch yesterday would have seen the mock-up of the Fujitsu ad. Fujitsu money is part of putting that ad in national business magazines, in-flight magazines - in other words, places where business people will see it. I think that is due to go to press in the next couple of weeks, so Mr Corbell is wrong again. The wine industry has also come on board on a fifty-fifty basis with the ACT Government to market and promote the ACT and region wines.

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