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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (2 December) . . Page.. 4273 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

we got, the population figures looked better than our budget projection. We could talk about final private sector consumption and final public sector consumption. Private sector consumption has continued to go up the whole way through the last couple of years. Even public sector consumption has started to increase now.

Mr Speaker, we can go on about those things forever. I think all sensible commentators are now saying that the ACT economy is through the worst. I think it is appropriate to quote Jack Waterford this morning. He made the point that the ACT is past the worst, and it has happened, I think Mr Waterford said, in a surprisingly quick timeframe. I would agree with Mr Waterford.

MR HIRD: My question - surprise, surprise - is to the Minister for Sport, Mr Stefaniak. At the grand final of the ACT Australian Football League in September one of Labor's B team candidates for the forthcoming election went to great pains to make a name for himself by starting a "the sky is falling" panic about the future of Australian football here in Canberra. Can you, Minister, advise whether the "Chicken Little" approach is an accurate reflection of the Government's intention to provide first-class facilities to attract a major Australian football commitment as well as other sports teams and events to Canberra?

Mr Whitecross: Was Chicken Little the last book you read?

MR HIRD: Listen and you might learn something.

Mr Berry: I take a point of order, Mr Speaker. Mr Hird mistakenly referred to Labor's B team. There is none. We are all in the A team. That is the B team over there.

MR SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

MR STEFANIAK: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Hird, for the question. I cannot, just off the top of my head, remember the name of the B team member; but it was a rather remarkable - - -

Mr Whitecross: It was Harold Hird.

MR STEFANIAK: No, on your side.

Mr Hird: The A team.

MR STEFANIAK: Yes, you are in the A team, Harold. It was a remarkable statement by that gentleman, and he also handed out some rather strange pamphlets. I can confidently advise Mr Hird that Mr Wayne Jackson, the chief executive officer of the Australian Football League, certainly does not share the lack of confidence in Canberra that the aforesaid B team member apparently has. Mr Jackson is a very plain speaker and he is willing to operate on the basis of fact and straight talk. I met with him

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