Page 1498 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2007
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willingness to share their knowledge with us. I particularly acknowledge the participation of Mr Mulcahy representing the Liberal Party. In Singapore he displayed the same mature, bipartisan approach to the issue of securing Canberra’s water supply as he showed in his capacity as the relevant shadow minister. I do congratulate him on rising above politics on this most important issue and I look forward to the same approach from the current spokesperson.
I present the following paper:
ACT Government Trade and Investment Mission to China/Delegation to the Public Utilities Board in Singapore—May 2007—Ministerial statement, 6 June 2007.
I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (4.29): It is important that we engage in trips to countries that we seek to engage on trade, and I think it is a great thing that the Chief Minister has led this delegation to China. He mentioned that he thought it was quite wonderful that we are the only city in Australia that will receive the torch relay that will herald the arrival of the Beijing Olympics late next year. Perhaps that is the small thank you that the people of Beijing extend to the people of Canberra for the assistance that we gave them when they were negotiating to be the city that would host the 2008 Olympics.
For those that were not here or who may have chosen to forget, the ACT government, through our business areas at that time, assisted the Beijing government to put their bid together. Indeed, the only non-Chinese national who was on the BOCOG team was, in fact, Mr Hai Tau Wen—at that time an ACT public servant. Hai Tau was very important in the putting together of that bid, as was the assistance of the ACT government and business community.
So I think there is a small thank you in this and an acknowledgement of the sister city relationship that we have with Beijing. I think it is incredibly gracious of the Beijing government and the Chinese people to extend to us the courtesy of having the torch relay come through the ACT and particularly to overlook the insult of Mr Stanhope, who abstained from supporting that sister city relationship at the time. He led his Labor colleagues out and they did not return. It is most unfortunate, Mr Speaker, that again Mr Stanhope walks out of the chamber when somebody speaks about his past actions, which he refuses to acknowledge.
I would like to say how gracious I think it is of the Beijing government and the Chinese people actually to allow the torch relay to come to the ACT. I think it is an acknowledgment of the success of the sister city relationship that was negotiated and organised by former Chief Minister Kate Carnell. When people see that relay come to Canberra next year, they might think back and reflect that this may never have happened but for the efforts of the previous Liberal government.
That said, it is good to see that the Chief Minister has come to his senses and that he actually does realise that you must negotiate and come to grips with all of the issues
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