Page 686 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 22 February 2012
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2001-05. It breaks it up into four key areas of development. It looks at a number of sectors inside each of those—whether we build up accommodation, what attractions there are and what the various sectors inside tourism are, making sure we have got the staff and the infrastructure in place to support them. That is a real tourism master plan. When we only produce strategic plans, we get what we expect from this government—lots of rhetoric and very little.
Members, I refer you to an ACT firm called Spark Solar. Spark Solar came and saw the Greens, the government and the Liberal Party before the 2008 election. There was a very exciting attempt to diversify the ACT economy—to bolster the manufacturing sector, of all things. They wanted to build a factory—yes, a factory. They wanted to provide employment for different sorts of people who perhaps would not normally get a good go here in the ACT because we do not have too many factory-type situations in the ACT.
It was quite a detailed proposal. When we spoke with the Greens about who might form government, one of their questions was “Would you support Spark Solar?” We said, “Yes, we would.” Here we are, three years and four months later, and nothing has happened with Spark Solar. There is an attempt, a genuine attempt, to diversify the ACT economy. They have been let down by the Labor Party and by the Greens because, for one thing, in 2006, let us remember, the government virtually wiped every business support program in the ACT and gutted the tourism budget. That was good for diversifying the ACT economy!
Then they make this claim that we have never had a strategic plan for business. I have dusted off a number of documents of the Liberal Party—even this lovely one from back in 1996, when we had a thing called Canberra: a capital future. If we want things on the table, Ms Porter, I could not agree more. I look forward to you, minister, tabling all your government’s plans. You have been there for 11 years but the reality is that apart from some fairy floss there has not been a genuine attempt to diversify the ACT economy.
Why is that? It is because the government just does not believe in it. What did Mr Stanhope say in 2008? He said:
… we have to acknowledge that economic diversity opportunities are limited …
I suspect that economic diversity opportunities are limited only by your imagination, your level of activity and the zeal with which you apply yourself to the job. What did Ms Gallagher say in 2009? She said:
Government administration and defence account for around 31 per cent of the ACT economy. It would be unrealistic to think that this proportion would change in any significant way, even with major government intervention.
Katy has got no idea. Not going to change? She said:
The ACT will have a large government sector for a long time to come.
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