Page 2908 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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provided in this budget, including the funding for the continuation of the Enlighten festival, the tourism events blockbuster fund and new funding for our direct international flights into and out of Canberra in support of that particular initiative.
Just to correct Mr Doszpot’s contribution, funding for upgrades to major territory venues and events comes from the territory venues and events portfolio and output class, not from sport and recreation. So his assertion that somehow investment in venues and events detracts from our contribution to community sport and recreation is, firstly, incorrect; secondly, I do not think it is necessary to pit the two against each other in the way that the shadow minister has sought to do. Is it his suggestion that if he were the minister he would not be spending money on venues and events and would be directing that into community sport?
He would probably want to have that discussion with the shadow treasurer, who would appear to have a different view on the value of events, tourism and investment in venues and attractions and the like. In fact he is constantly calling for new strategies for that investment.
What we are seeing here is a very confused position from the opposition. Given, for example, that the shadow minister for sport moved a motion in this place in support of the Giants AFL team, I do find some of his later comments to be highly hypocritical. But enough said on the shadow minister.
The city to the lake project is a very important element of this budget and certainly will transform our city in the coming decades. Following the more than $1 million that has already been invested in developing this project, the budget invests a further $800,000 to progress the proposal. This includes an assessment of the requirements and costs associated with relocating existing road and stormwater infrastructure, along with further work to progress the Australia forum proposal to investment-ready status. I know, again, that the shadow treasurer is particularly interested in that, as it is one of his pet projects.
The budget provides $3.1 million to fund investigative work to support further land release in urban and greenfield areas. I am sure the Deputy Leader of the Opposition will be pleased to hear that. I look forward to his support for that extra work. The work will align the government’s policy of advancing capital works projects to shovel-ready status before investment decisions are finalised. For the benefit of a number of the shadow ministers who have spoken this afternoon, that will be the government’s approach to capital works delivery.
In terms of the timely release of land, we recognise through this budget the need to ensure that we are maintaining our supply-side effort in terms of land release both in greenfield and in urban renewal sites. We want to ensure that the supply-side provision is putting downward pressure on prices and rents. 4,800 dwelling sites will be released across the territory in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
I conclude by mentioning a number of investments, one of which I had the opportunity to turn the first sod on last week—the $5 million investment in the University of Canberra sports commons initiative, which does a number of things. I
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