Page 4027 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 30 October 2013
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Mr Barr, when he was interjecting against Mr Hanson, said that the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre does not operate under a trust. Yes, it does. You only need to go to the last annual report or to the website to read:
The MCEC is owned by the Victorian State Government and managed by the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust (MCET).
In order to meet the Trust’s objectives, the MCEC works closely with several key business partners including the Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau, Tourism Victoria and the Department of Business and Innovation …
Melbourne currently has the biggest convention centre in the country and it is run by a trust. That is the point. These things work. If the government do not have the wherewithal to draft some legislation for a trust, I am happy to do it for them. They could just get on the Victorian government legislation website and find a trust there. It is set up and it is ready to go. The trust system works.
In New South Wales, for instance, the existing convention centre was with the Darling Harbour authority. The redevelopment has been given to Infrastructure New South Wales because I assume the authority did not have the skills to do it. They are going to do that, and then it will be transferred back to the authority. In Brisbane, for instance, it is a government corporation. There are a number of models here. A trust seems a reasonable way to do it. If the minister wants me to do his job for him, I am more than happy to do his job for him. But the problem is that there is no point here, because there is no commitment to it. There is no champion for this in the government in the same way that they are championing capital metro or they are championing the stadium. That is the whole point.
Question put:
That the amendment be agreed to.
The Assembly voted—
|
Ayes 7 |
Noes 7 | ||
|
Ms Berry |
Ms Gallagher |
Mr Coe |
Ms Lawder |
|
Dr Bourke |
Mr Gentleman |
Mr Doszpot |
Mr Smyth |
|
Ms Burch |
Mr Rattenbury |
Mr Hanson |
Mr Wall |
|
Mr Corbell |
Mrs Jones | ||
Question so resolved in the negative in accordance with standing order 162.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (4.51), in reply: Mr Assistant Speaker, I will close the debate. Minister Barr read out some words that he claims were from the Canberra Business Council. I do not know the provenance of those words, but I do know that the Canberra Business Council put out a press release dated 30 October—that would be today—and I want to read it again for those present here. It is headed “Australia forum a priority for government and business”. The first paragraph clearly and
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