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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 3 Hansard (25 March) . . Page.. 878 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

We do have a large range of events where 3,000 to 4,000 people come in, especially in the sporting area. Various national junior championships and titles are held here. We have had basketball events. In some of the seniors events we have had significant carnivals. There is a softball one going on at present. Admittedly there are some elite teams there; but there are a number of other events where we have had a large range of teams here. Again, if they tend to stay for a week you get significant activity.

Let us look at some other ones, moving away from the sporting area. Floriade generates about $19.2m of economic impact. It attracted 467,000 visitors in 1998; 45 per cent of them were from interstate. CTEC spends some $500,000 on seed funding events through its events development fund. It estimates that that brings a return of some $29m to the Canberra community. About $58 is coming into the Canberra community in terms of economic impact for $1 spent, which is well over the ratio I mentioned earlier.

As well as those events we have the Australian Science Festival, the National Multicultural Festival, the PGA golf tournament and the National Wine Festival. Ms Carnell was asked a question today in relation to the Johnny Farnham concert. It will be a very big concert, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. I would not be at all surprised to see 30,000 or 40,000 people at the new Bruce Stadium for that. Again, most of those people will be coming in from the region. Every time the Raiders and the Brumbies play here a large number of people come in from the region and some of them stay overnight.

During the First Assembly and the Second Assembly - and I note that those opposite were mainly in power then - one of the big problems was in attracting people to stay here for more than one night. What is pleasing to see now is the number of events and attractions that we have here and the fact that people are tending to stay in Canberra, rather than just coming here for a visit and then going. They are staying here for one, two, three or more nights. The best types of events, of course, are those events where they come here and stay for seven to 10 days. That is very significant, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. Events are important because not only do they put us in a good light but also they generate jobs. In fact, during 1997-98 they resulted in an estimated 860 extra jobs being created. That is one of the great benefits from conducting events.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Hird): I call Mr Quinlan.

MR QUINLAN (4.30): Thank you, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. Again, I must congratulate you - I do not know how to refer to you when you take the chair after initiating a debate - for leading the Government in debate in this place, although I still have not divined from what I have heard why we are here. Before I was elected to this place, I did think that this Government and this Chief Minister were overly keen on personal publicity and on publicity stunts and particularly keen to attach themselves to anyone's success about the town. I have to say that Mrs Carnell, to her credit, is quite good at that pursuit - far better than her Federal counterpart, Mr Howard, who has made looking like a nerd into an artform but who would have us believe that he is Australia's No. 1 cricket fan.

Mr Corbell: And mate.

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