Page 221 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 26 February 2014
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MR SMYTH: Just phase 1! Then there are concerns in financial circles that the credit rating may be at risk because people do not believe the government has got the wherewithal or the power to pay it back. It will be interesting to see how the government finances this. Our preference is for a piece of productive infrastructure that will show the measurable results in the economy, and that is the convention centre. Make money through other sectors and then go and build your capital works projects. But it will be interesting to see what happens to credit ratings if all of those projects went forward.
In respect of productivity in the city, yes, I do admit that there is manufacturing in the city. It is a small sector and that is not what I meant. We do not have the grand smelters, the Alcoas and the car plants. These are things that we do not have. It is interesting; we could have actually had a couple of quite innovative businesses. For instance, I remember the story of Spark Solar before the outcome of the 2007-08 election where all the parties committed to setting up Spark Solar. They wanted to set up a plant in the ACT to manufacture solar cells. They came to the ACT to be close to the ANU and wanted to manufacture here.
But this government got rid of all the business assistance programs in 2006-07 budget; do not give anything to business; it is welfare. They could not help Spark Solar and we do not have the Spark Solar manufacturing plant which was to a be turnkey operation. Everybody in the place seems to be interested in solar power except for the government. It was not interested in manufacturing the cells here and getting the dividend from having some blue collar jobs in the ACT. It is quite interesting. The manufacturing sector could have been busy. It could have been much bigger, minister. That might have led to other things as the synergies worked on.
Let us go to the rum bar. I would like to congratulate Gil Miller, his wife Colleen and Leigh for their endeavour down there at Kingston Foreshore. Let me remind you again that Kingston Foreshore initially occurred under the previous Liberal government. We had the foresight to make the land swap, as was mentioned last night by Gary Humphries—Kate Carnell and Paul Keating.
Mr Barr: Paul Keating had the foresight, yes.
MR SMYTH: He wanted the museum site. He had something we wanted; we had something he wanted and it all worked out. But it did start under a former Liberal government and it is coming along. But let us acknowledge the small business people like Gil, Colleen and Leigh who put everything on the line when they go to work. The minister has now sort of corrected himself. He said that I have somehow slandered him by quoting his words at him when he said, “The private sector are not exactly stepping up to the plate at the moment making large investments, although we are seeking that. We are going overseas for that because we do not think we are going to get it locally.” He changes his tack this evening, members, by saying, “We are only two per cent of the economy. We are only 300,000-odd people and we do not expect to get that sort of investment.”
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