Page 2023 - Week 06 - Thursday, 8 June 2006
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Mr Mulcahy reminded us of the former Treasurer’s first speech on tourism. I was at that lunch and it was very interesting. There was a room full of tourism people at the University of Canberra, and Ted Quinlan basically said, “I have talked to you all. Don’t bother knocking because there ain’t no more money and there never will be.” It is a shame that he took that attitude. It really stumped people that the government did not understand exactly how tourism works and the effect of tourism. That means that we will have to work harder.
With the $4.5 million cut over two years, by the time we get into a position where we will want to catch up it will be 2013, and what is to happen in 2013? The centenary of Canberra is to be celebrated then. The Chief Minister is having forums and competitions, seeking ideas and doing all sorts of other things to promote how well we are going to do come 2013, but if he wants them to work in 2013 he will have to start now. I recognise that there is $200,000 in the budget for that, but that is all there is. We have talked about Alberta spending $600 million. There is no allocation anywhere near what is required for the scope of what the Chief Minister wants to do, and there will not be because we are not broadening the tax base. Cutting tourism does not work.
The excuse seems to be that we lack efficiency, that there are too many overheads and too many staff. I do not know of any organisation that has been drawn back into a bureaucracy, a public service of any kind, that has got better for the drawing back. We only have to look at the functional review outcomes in Western Australia. Eric Ripper, the Treasurer of Western Australia, was reported in the paper the other day as saying “Yes, it has been about five years and, yes, we have spent a whole lot more money than we expected, but we will get some dividends next year.” They were meant to get dividends in the first year. I think they were meant to have something like an $84 million dividend over the first four years. They have not garnered a cent, and my prediction is that we will not garner a cent in efficiency from this change, simply because things do not work that way.
The industry is different. It is interesting that, if there are problems in the organisation itself, these problems have emerged since Treasurer Quinlan has left. It is quite amazing how badly it has gone in the last two months. Mr Barr, is that your fault? When tourism minister Quinlan was here, everything was fantastic. Mr Quinlan used to paint a picture as to how fantastic this organisation was, how the numbers were on the up. Mr Barr takes over and suddenly it is a cot case. Of course it is not Mr Barr’s fault, but it is an excuse being put by the Chief Minister to justify what he knows is a bad decision.
The Chief Minister shows his ignorance and shows his lack of courtesy to the industry by abandoning his seat. The bill is his bill as Treasurer. He has disappeared from the place. He has got no interest in it. He has dropped his act. He apologised briefly for the lack of time and lack of consultation. If he were sincere in that regret, he would allow us to have the opportunity to send this bill to a committee. I will put the challenge to the Chief Minister. If he were sincere about the regret and the insult to the Assembly of dropping this bill on Tuesday and debating it here at 10.10 on Thursday night, he would have the courtesy and the decency to come down here and move a motion under standing order 174 to have it sent off to the estimates committee. There is the challenge, Chief Minister. I am sure that you will not take it up.
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