Page 155 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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us because, unlike larger states, the ACT is not in a position to finance trade offices in major cities overseas. We need the support of Austrade to facilitate that work, and we are very grateful for their support.
We will continue to invest in infrastructure with the commonwealth’s contraction of spending set to have a big impact on the private sector. The government acknowledges that we will need to take a leading role in fostering economic growth in the city in coming years. Fortunately, the territory’s low levels of debt allow for the government to continue a program of infrastructure investment. This has two key effects: firstly, it provides the important facilities our city needs in health, education and transport for example, but, secondly, the investment helps our economy to keep ticking over, taking up some of the slack caused by the commonwealth’s lower spending.
Our tourism and events sector will be a key focus to help our economy grow in coming years. Tourism contributes $1.65 billion to the territory economy and is one of our largest private sector employers, supporting around 16,000 jobs. In December of last year the government launched its 2020 tourism strategy in consultation with the local tourism industry. This strategy sets a target of increasing the value of tourism to the territory economy to $2.5 billion by 2020.
Some of the areas the government will focus on in conjunction with our tourism industry include attracting direct international flights and new low cost domestic carriers to Canberra, investing in destination marketing activities that boost visitation from domestic and international target markets and, importantly, growing the digital capacity of the industry. Much of this work is under way, particularly leveraging off the $480 million investment in upgrading facilities at the Canberra Airport. We will also continue our special event fund and support new festivals and events in the territory. Across a range of sectors the government is making targeted investments that will support our economy and create jobs.
MR HANSON (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (11.42): I thank Ms Berry for bringing this motion before us today. As ever, the Canberra Liberals want to talk about job creation and our economy and making sure that we have a strong, vibrant business sector in the ACT. That is something that is very dear to our hearts.
I wanted to hear what those opposite had to say before I spoke because the myth is continuing, the deceit is continuing. It is a myth that has been put forward by those opposite, it was put forward by the Greens in the lead-up to the last federal election and it has been put forward by the union mates of those opposite; that is, the good old Labor Party do not cut any federal public service jobs—that they never do that—and it is only done by those nasty Liberals.
Madam Deputy Speaker, when you actually look at the facts of the matter, what you find out is that the job cuts to the federal public service, 14,500 of them, are Labor Party cuts and Labor Party decisions. What we have seen collectively from sections of the unions, from those opposite and from Labor Party members on the hill is deceit, in that they hid that there were any jobs being cut, and then denials that this was happening—and repeated denials.
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