Page 4643 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 19 October 2010
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Mr Hargreaves raised their answer, which is “towards our second century”, which looks at some of the economics. He said it is a high-level plan. He is dead right: it is a very high-level plan. It is supposedly supported by a series of under-plans, one of which is the skills plan from the Skills Commission. That sort of activity has been there for several years now, but we are still not seeing an end to the shortage of skilled staff.
This government talks a lot about skills, but you have to question whether its activity over the last nine years has led to a stronger skills base. If you talk to the employer groups and to employers, they are still desperate for trained staff. In many ways they are the limiting sum on a strong economic base, a strong local economy. Again, this government talks about inputs and all the things we do, but when you look at the outcomes, the delivery is sorely lacking.
I would almost bet that we will not hear from the minister about the outcomes. We will get the same sort of rhetoric about “these are the statistics”, but go underneath those and have a look at them. Give Ted Quinlan his due as Treasurer and economic development minister in his economic white paper. It had 49 recommendations, it had nine key areas of growth and it had targets in it. “Towards our second century”, by comparison, is simply fairy floss. There is nothing in it. Ted at least had the courage to say that what he was saying was basic; it was a statement of the bleeding obvious. His government abandoned him and abandoned the economic white paper because it was too hard and they did not have the commitment to make it occur.
What have we seen from this government with regard to the economy? We have seen cuts to key areas, we have seen a failure to show leadership and we have seen opportunities lost, delayed or ignored. I will go to the convention centre. Ted Quinlan said at the Tourism Industry Council dinner in December 2001 that by December 2002, the following year, he would announce the location of the new convention centre.
Convention centres are not just the boxes that people used to build. Convention centres are the meeting places of this century. They are the places where ideas are exchanged, where business is done and where you very much stake your place in the world by the level of activity that you bring to your city. We do very well. Full marks to the convention bureau and the PCOs and the other people involved in those industries and everybody that works to bring business events. These events are not about tourism. They are business events. This is a critical part of a strong local economy. But nine years after Mr Quinlan made that statement, they are still waiting for the location of the new convention centre. This is just one indication of the failure of this government to actually act and deliver something.
There is a process in place. It is a process being driven by the business community, headed up by the Canberra Business Council, and I salute them. I thank the government for the $250,000 contribution they made. But this level of planning everywhere else around the world and every other city around Australia is done by the government. Because of their disinterest, because of their lack of leadership, because of their lack of commitment and because of their failure to understand that convention
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