Page 2336 - Week 07 - Thursday, 17 August 2006
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
number of families into the ACT. That will result in a significant boost in the capacity of Qantas along the Canberra to Sydney route. In the last budget we invested $111 million in vocational education and training in the territory. We also signed the COAG human capital agreements.
MR SPEAKER: Order! The minister’s time has expired.
MR GENTLEMAN: I ask a supplementary question. Could the Chief Minister outline the success of the government’s Live in Canberra campaign and its importance in addressing skills shortages in the ACT?
MR STANHOPE: The Live in Canberra campaign has been a significant and important initiative for a number of reasons. Most significantly, the Live in Canberra campaign has been a tremendous partnership between this government and a number of business representative organisations throughout the ACT. One of the reasons that members of the Liberal Party continue to talk down the Live in Canberra campaign is that it was a joint and legal partnership between the ACT Labor government and a number of constituent organisations and businesses that they regard as rusted-on supporters of the Liberal Party.
The Liberal Party is jealous about any cooperation or partnership between business representative organisations and this government. I know that members of the Liberal Party wince every time they see business expectation surveys that record quite explicitly the level of confidence that business in the ACT has in our economy and in this government. I know that neo-conservative Liberals like Mr Mulcahy, hard right-wing ideologues, are most unforgiving of any relationship between a successful ACT business community and this very successful ACT Labor government.
We see the hurt in their eyes every time and we see a feeling of betrayal. How could the chamber of commerce possibly support the work that the ACT government is doing? I cannot imagine some of the private conversations that Liberal members have with Chris Peters about their scorned dismissal and the inferiority they feel that their own constituency has abandoned them and crossed over to the Labor Party.
Mr Smyth: Point of order, Mr Speaker. Standing order 118 (b) states that the minister cannot debate the issue. The member’s question related to the Live in Canberra campaign.
MR SPEAKER: Order! If everybody ceased interjecting it would make life in this place a little easier.
MR STANHOPE: We constantly hear in this place scornful references by opposition members to the Live in Canberra campaign. Why are they scornful of it and why do they talk it down? Why do they talk down Canberra? Why is it that they do not want a partnership between a number of business organisations and significant businesses in the ACT to succeed? Why do they constantly talk it down? Why did Mr Mulcahy, who attempted to interject earlier, reflect his scorn at the Live in Canberra campaign? Is it because it is successful? Is it because it is a partnership between the ACT government and every one of the representative organisations that members of the Liberal Party claim as their own?
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .