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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 13 Hansard (25 November) . . Page.. 4620 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

The tourism awards were decided upon based on the academic performance of the students. The winner of the award for academic excellence by a first-year tourism management student went to Matt Crawshaw but there was also a commendation to Vanessa Febo. The award for academic excellence by a second-year tourism management student went to Olivia Burgess, with a commendation to Anita Kennedy. The award for academic excellence by a third-year tourism management student went to Kristy Hickson. The award for outstanding achievement in conventions and festivals management went to Catherine Scott.

The award for outstanding achievement in hotel management went to Erica Bruen. The award for outstanding achievement in tourism, planning and development went to Charlotte Moscrop. The University of Canberra Union Club tourism alumni award went to Erin Cooper. The award for the most improved graduating tourism management student went to Rosa Spatolisano and the award for the most outstanding post- graduate/honours tourism program student went to Marta Espinoza. The award for overall academic excellence by a graduating tourism management student went to Jacqueline Brown and the award for outstanding contribution to tourism industry and education went to Todd Wright, with commendations to Jacqui Petro and Simone Salvestro.

As I have said, the interesting thing about the awards is the amount of support from the industry and the sponsors. I think it is important to acknowledge that the sponsors were Tourism New South Wales, Regional Express, the Tourism Industry Council of the ACT, the Australian Capital Tourism Corporation, Conference Logistics, the Academy of Interactive Entertainment, Qantas, Club Tourism, Bryan R Ward and Consec Conference Management.

Canberra International Airport sponsored two of the awards and, on the night, the festivities were sponsored by the National Capital Attractions Association, the Canberra Region Tour Operators Association, the Canberra Southern Cross Club, the Canberra Tradesmen's Union Club, the School of Information Management and Tourism at the University of Canberra, the Division of Communications and Education of the University of Canberra, the University of Canberra Union, the Canberra Convention Bureau and Design Graphics.

I note that Mr Hargreaves attended on behalf of the government. On the night, there was a sense of expectation that they were all getting into something exciting and that they were all quite prepared to go there. That is an important thing. We need to make sure that we bolster an industry like tourism which, depending on the figures you want to quote, is worth somewhere between $700 million and a billion dollars to the ACT economy. I believe we must say to the young, and some not so young, students coming through, "This is a good industry. It is an industry worth getting into. It is something that the Assembly, the politicians and the parties are interested in and we are interested in supporting what you do."

To the organisers of the event from the university's perspective-Helen Ayres, Tourism Program Director for the University of Canberra; Ron Miller, acting head of the Division of Communication and Education, and others who were involved-I just want to say that I think it is really important that these awards continue.

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