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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 7 Hansard (29 June) . . Page.. 2266 ..
MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services) (4:09): Mr Speaker, before the luncheon recess we heard the usual glib lines from Mr Quinlan that we have not done well, we have not contributed anything to the success of the city, we have not contributed anything to the turn-around of the mess that the Labor Party left, that it is a good year to be Treasurer yet again, we have sort of fallen into this, and it is just good luck.
It is interesting that not everybody shares Mr Quinlan's opinion. I would like to read from parts of an article in the Business Review Weekly of 23 June of this year by Tom Skotnicki. It is curious what he says. The article reads:
Strolling along the streets of Canberra's premier cafe district of Manuka, it is hard to believe that just four years ago this was a city in deep trouble. Prosperous young professionals fill the restaurants, flowing out to the tables on the pavement, despite the notorious winter chill.
It is a transformation that has surprised many long-term Canberra residents. And the emergence of a brash new information technology (IT) sector, spurred by the Federal Government's outsourcing program, has created unparalleled opportunities.
Access Economics associate director Graham Matthews says the latest boom is helping the city grow. It now boasts a healthier combination of private sector and government employment and the population of more than 300,000 is once again growing. Unlike previous booms, this one is almost certainly more sustainable as a result of its reduced reliance on direct government employment. The classic measures of economic activity and prosperity are all improving, with retail sales rising, strong increases in residential and commercial building, low vacancy rates and the lowest unemployment rate in the country.
It is a far cry from late 1996, when Public Service cuts brought Canberra's development to a virtual halt, pushing unemployment above eight per cent and causing real estate prices to fall by up to 30 per cent. Yet the cuts have been responsible for the city's new prosperity, according to Matthews.
The article quotes examples of some of the IT firms that have come here. One of the commentators, Protocom's marketing manager, Maureen Holton, is reported in the article as saying:
It is quite unique in that it is more than just a government city. It really has a strong base in IT, with large numbers of skilled IT professionals in the private sector, government and education. With the encouragement of the Australian Capital Territory Government and Austrade, it has become a focus for the IT industry.
The article goes on to say:
The ACT Government, led by Kate Carnell, has certainly helped the revival by promoting a string of events that have attracted interest in the national capital. The decision of Impulse Airlines to base itself in Canberra, admittedly enticed by about $10 million of concessions, was a coup. But Canberra will also host Olympic soccer in the revamped Bruce Stadium, and
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