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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 5 Hansard (8 May) . . Page.. 1728 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

In tourism the only initiative is a $250,000 scoping study-another study for the convention centre, followed by the promise, for what it is worth, of $40 million in the year 2004-2005 for planning and construction of a new or renovated convention centre.

We should not forget that, in the tourism section of the Labor Party's developing industry policy, they said that, firstly, they would develop a coherent industry strategy that properly recognises the different sectors, as well as developing industry development plans for each sector with a marketing plan and identifying opportunities for innovative marketing in areas such as sports tourism. Secondly, they said they would develop and implement a whole-of-government tourism network that coordinates the tourist-related activities of all government agencies. But, ominously, the 2003-2004 budget makes no mention of any of these initiatives.

The commitment on the convention centre is welcome but long overdue. However, we must take it with a grain of salt, after the Treasurer's own answers to questions of when, where and how were, "Dunno"; "Dunno"; and "Dunno". However, the major cuts to the CTEC budget are wrong in principle and could not come at a worse time-when the local sector is doing it tough as a result of the bushfires and the SARS crisis.

Mr Quinlan recently said, "I think we have enough in Canberra if we did absolutely nothing". Cuts to the CTEC budget indicate that he might be implementing this strategy. The lack of vision is disappointing as well, when the industry has faced ongoing challenges due to shocks such as terrorism, the Ansett collapse, bushfires, Iraq and SARS.

Mr Speaker, in 2001 Mr Quinlan promised a coherent industry strategy and industry development plans for each sector, but has not delivered on this. By contrast, a Smyth Liberal government would implement a plan of action to secure the future of the local tourism industry.

In the housing portfolio, the overall amount of funding being injected into ACT Housing is a point worthy of detailed investigation. I have no doubt that the finer detail referring to how many tenant applicants were housed, or how many tenancies and dwellings are being managed, will show that the poor old ratepayer is paying a lot of money for significantly reduced services. For example, there are 60 less tenancies and 110 less dwellings.

We have the Treasurer's claim in the budget of an increase of $13.3 million from the 2002-2003 estimated outcome for housing. However, when you scratch down a few layers to determine where the money is being spent, there is not great deal more delivery of service coming from the provision of more funding. My colleague, Jacqui Burke, will elaborate on this and will no doubt cause Mr Wood considerable discomfort.

In disability, I congratulate the government on providing the disability community with the $600,000 it requested in its budget submission. I can only wish that the rest of the community was treated with such respect. On an early reading, there appears to be enough in the budget to meet the commitments to Gallop, but we shall have to wait and see on that score.

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