Page 4711 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 October 2010
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(1) notes the findings by Peter Loxton and Associates, in the Report on the Review of ACT Government Events and Festivals that:
(a) current funding and scheduling arrangements lack vision, policy direction, strategy and coordination;
(b) event scheduling is not guided by a plan and gives an impression of disorganisation and clutter;
(c) there has been limited communication or sharing of knowledge and expertise between government agencies about planning and management of events and festivals; and
(d) this overall situation undermines the effectiveness and value of government investment; and
(2) calls on the:
(a) ACT Government to set out what action the ACT Government is taking to respond to these adverse findings by Peter Loxton and Associates; and
(b) Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation to provide by the first sitting day in 2011:
(i) an annual plan for new events and festivals in the ACT;
(ii) a plan for new attractions for the ACT; and
(iii) a plan for the accommodation industry in the ACT.
This is a very important motion about a very important industry for this city. It is a motion about tourism in the broad using the Loxton report as a springboard, because the Loxton report highlights many of the failings of this government in their approach to tourism in general and, in the case of the report, events and festivals in particular.
This is a marker motion for the government. With nine years of Stanhope-Quinlan, Stanhope-Gallagher governments now behind us, it is interesting that we do not have strategies for festivals and events, accommodation or new attractions in the ACT. In that way it is disappointing to have to move this motion today, but, given the behaviour of the minister and his lack of interest in this portfolio, it is important to do so.
What we have in our city in which we all live is strong support for the range of tourism events and festivals that are held each year. Unfortunately, as the period under this government has stretched, it has become increasingly evident that this Labor government has failed our tourism industry. In this failure, the government has also failed the ACT community.
I note the sad demise of the internationally renowned balloon fiesta with up to 100 balloons and a 10-day event on the international tourist destination itinerary. It is now a pale shadow of what it was. We note the disruptive changes to the structure of
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