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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (25 May) . . Page.. 1802 ..

MS CARNELL (continuing):

opposite take reported in depth down to the last dollar? I will stand up here and defend every day not just the right of ministers to go offshore but the absolutely essential nature of it.

Mr Moore went to Japan for the Healthy Cities conference and went on to Nara to catch up on the sister city relationship. In June representatives from right around the world are coming to Canberra for a Healthy Cities conference here. That is a real benefit to the ACT. Mr Smyth reported yesterday or the day before on his trip. Two of the companies that went with him have already signed, or are in the process of negotiating, deals with South African companies.

If we do not do this, we will continue to be claustrophobic. We will continue to look inwardly rather than outward to the rest of the world, and that will not be in the best interests of the people of the ACT. I believe strongly that it is essential for members of this place-particularly the government, which is making decisions on behalf of the territory-to go offshore to broaden their perspectives, just as members of every other parliament in this country does. It is not just state, territory and federal parliaments doing this, but shire councils are doing it. Why? Because it is essential for our future.

MR HIRD: My question is to a broken-down front-row forward.

MR SPEAKER: I beg your pardon.

MR HIRD: I beg your pardon, Mr Speaker. He owes me a tie. My question is to the minister for sport, Mr Stefaniak. Minister, what does the Brumbies hosting the Super 12 final at Bruce Stadium mean for Canberra and the region? Have all the problems with the Australian Rugby Choir, which you are a member of, been rectified? Do not forget my tie.

MR STEFANIAK: Thanks, Mr Hird. This is one of the biggest single sporting events Canberra has hosted. It speaks volumes for the ability of the Brumbies, and it should be a wonderful final. Some 27,000-plus tickets have been sold, a ground record not only for the new stadium but also for the old stadium, where the previous record was 25,500. It is a great credit to the team and to Eddie Jones, the coach, who stepped into some big shoes when Rod Macqueen left the team. What a magnificent job Eddie has done.

This team fully deserves the support of everyone in this Assembly. They certainly deserve to win. It will be a very tough game. It will be about six degrees, with a lot of rain, so that will favour Canterbury. But all our hopes go with the Brumbies, and I think all the Assembly would join me in wishing them the best.

To answer the second part of your question, Mr Hird, I am delighted that the amazing events around the Australian Rugby Choir have been sorted out. The problem was sorted out pretty quickly. As a member of the choir, I was a bit reluctant to be involved at all, but I subsequently was and I am delighted that Mark Sinderberry indicated that he thought the Rugby Union had made a mistake. He asked me how he could contact the president of the choir, Mr Wal Cooper, and I arranged that. I am delighted that those two got together yesterday morning and very quickly sorted out the problem. That speaks

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