Page 1162 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 20 March 2013
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But to speak to the motion, paragraph (a) talks about the success of the celebrations of the centenary. Yes, we certainly have had a full calendar in this first quarter of the year. I think the attendance at the events certainly shows there is a lot of local community pride in what is happening here. I look forward to the assessment when the year is finished to see the outcome in terms of increased national pride and visitation. It was always going to be something that we would be proud of, but when you look at paragraph (c)(ii), where Mr Gentlemen says that the recent celebration reflected the renewed interest and national focus in Canberra, I would be interested in any data the government has that actually shows that. Yes, certainly it was well televised around the country and, yes, certainly the Prime Minister and other ministers attended the commemoration service on the 12th. I see the Chief Minister smirks. I am sure she will stand up and tell us what data they have already collected that shows this renewed interest.
I think there is a bit of a disconnect. The Chief Minister herself said on the Monday at the Spiegeltent that a lot of us like Canberra to be the world’s best-kept secret but then we get upset when people attack the place where we live. Perhaps that is part of the problem—in keeping it a well-kept secret people do not understand when we speak its praises and say, “You know, look, it is a fabulous place,” and they go, “Well, you know, maybe we’ve never heard of you,” or, “We’ve never experienced that.” Part of our problem is that we tend to be a little bit shy about what Canberra is and what Canberra does.
Canberra really sets a standard, and it has not mattered particularly which party has been in government—we have all been very proud of what happens in Canberra. But I think it is time for that shyness to go. Tim Schildberger wrote an interesting article in the Sunday Canberra Times on 10 March. Tim Schildberger grew up here as a kid, lived here and worked here. He is now a writer and TV producer and “proud former Canberran resident” living in Los Angeles. It is his last paragraph that I found quite intriguing:
And yet here we sit—the centenary of the national capital. So while I say congratulations, may I also urge the rest of the country, and even current residents, to understand Canberra for what it is. The birth certificate may read “old”, but the metropolis is remarkably young. Expecting a brand new city, one built during horrible architectural phases—
and I think he means the 1950s and 1960s—
to develop the “character” so many accuse Canberra of lacking is unfair and premature. Happy birthday, Canberra. You are a wonderful, beautiful, flawed place, and you are the absolute epitome of the idea of being 100 years young.
I think there is a challenge inherent in what Tim Schildberger says there—it really is about us developing our own character and being proud enough about it to get out and sell the message: “Canberra is a great place. It’s your nation’s capital. It’s our home. Come down and we’ll share it with you. Because, you know, you’ve paid for it as the taxpayers of Australia. It protects your story, it protects your history, it protects your artefacts, it protects your art, it protects the memory.” I think we need to make more of that.
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