Page 4712 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 20 October 2010
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the Multicultural Festival, which used to go on for a week or so. Now it is just a long weekend. I note the fiasco over the proposed new autumn event, which was meant to start in 2009. The first experience of the new autumn event was in the summer of 2009-10 with the Masterpieces exhibition, more by luck than good management. We still await the detail on the new autumn event. We know the bureaucracy and the government and, in particular, the minister are struggling with this concept.
Just recently we noted the stupidity over the appalling approach to the commercial dealings with the operator of the concert organ for Floriade in 2010. We start by ignoring a person who has been attending Floriade for years, then, out of the blue, Floriade—the government—seek to charge him $20,000 for the privilege of coming and entertaining the visitors to Floriade. It really does leave a bad taste in one’s mouth.
This government clearly has little capacity to devise an effective approach to tourism matters, and this is sadly confirmed by the Report on the review of ACT government events and festivals prepared by Peter Loxton and Associates. I have listed a few of the comments in paragraph (1) of my motion. If members have not read it, they really should just read the executive summary. The second paragraph states:
There are a large number of events and festivals in the ACT receiving some form of funding or support from Government. Current funding and scheduling arrangements lack vision, policy direction, strategy and coordination. This has lead to inconsistent, uneven funding and support from a variety of agencies based largely on ad hoc or historic arrangements. Event scheduling is not guided by a plan and gives an impression of disorganisation and clutter. There has been limited communication or sharing of knowledge and expertise between Government agencies about planning and management of events and festivals. This overall situation undermines the effectiveness and value of Government investment.
It goes on in the “Vision” section to say:
There are opportunities to build a vision for events and festivals around Canberra’s clean environment, natural beauty and four seasons, and as a major centre for government, ideas, education, innovation, sport, and also importantly as ‘the Cultural Capital’.
It is an interesting review. Under “Leadership and coordination” on page 5 it says:
The time is right for consolidation, including bringing the events section of TAMS, and of most other agencies, together into ACT Events.
Members only need to read through the overview of the current situation on page 8, which says in paragraph 2:
There is an undoubted impression of disorganisation and clutter in the current scheduling of events and festivals.
Paragraph 3 says events have been delivered in an uncoordinated way through a variety of agencies across government. Paragraph 4 says funding seems to be spread unevenly. Paragraph 5 says there is very limited communication and very limited sharing. Paragraph 6 says event skills are spread quite thinly. Paragraph 8 says the
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