Page 1129 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 6 May 2014
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They are the five key projects that will be progressed. It does have an action plan. It is an overarching strategic framework. It has five priority projects which we will be measured on. I am prepared for that. They are progressing now. They have different timetables, but we are working on these. We know that industry is very keen on working with us on them and will also be monitoring our progress.
In terms of some of the other work that is underway at the moment in terms of supporting the local economy, the ACT government has a very important role to play; but, and I have said this before, we are a small player and there is a limit to what we can do. We believe we are taking decisions that support the local economy in the short term and will deliver good outcomes from a city building point of view in the long term. In saying that, I mean investments in public transport, transformative projects like capital metro, the big investments that we hopefully will be able to attract around city to the lake, and also key infrastructure that the community needs, like the University of Canberra public hospital.
When we presented on our investment opportunities in China, one of the things I was very pleased about was the high quality work that underpins the work to date on city to the lake. We were providing people with good information about what investment opportunities are there. There was a lot of interest in the convention centre, I would have to say, and some of the things that hang off that. That is very promising. We will follow up on those, and indeed we have followed up on those since my return.
I guess the job that the Assembly needs to think about in the next little while is how much we are able to work together. I understand that we will not be able to work together on everything, but where there are projects with agreement that this place thinks are in the long-term best interests of the city I hope that we are able to show the community that confidence over the next few years. It is very easy for us to fall into the doom and gloom and woe is me situation. It is much harder for representatives to work together and agree that where there are good ideas, where there is important work underway, we should progress it, and progress it with a unified front.
I did believe that that would be the view of the project facilitation bill. I thought that was something that the Liberal Party would support. All of the business community, in their representations to me about it—which led to this bill, I would have to say—have been positive and have actively sought this out. I am disappointed that there were not submissions to the committee from those industry groups—the ones that sought this legislation. I think it means that we should go back now and have a look at this piece of legislation. If there is not broad-based support for it, we might have to reconsider. But there are more discussions to be had.
Discussion concluded.
Amendments to the Electoral Act 1992—select committee
Statement by chair
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella): Pursuant to standing order 246A, I table the following paper:
Amendments to the Electoral Act 1992—Select Committee—Discussion paper, dated 6 May 2014.
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