Page 2822 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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We are not about making it more expensive to access health services. We are not about making it more expensive to access education. We are about investing in public transport. We are about ensuring that this city is fair, that this city ensures that everyone has an opportunity to reach their potential. We are about ensuring that this economy continues to grow, and we will invest in Canberra. We will seek private sector investment partners in our city. We are about seeking to grow this economy. The federal Liberal government are out there seeking to apply a sledge hammer to this economy, to reduce spending, to reduce employment. That is what they want to do. We are working hard against that tide, doing our very best to continue to see Canberra grow. That is what this government is about—investing in health, investing in education, investing in public transport and cleaning up the Mr Fluffy mess.
MADAM SPEAKER: Supplementary question, Dr Bourke.
DR BOURKE: Treasurer, why is it important for the ACT government to support the territory economy?
MR BARR: As we have seen, the commonwealth government are slashing jobs and slashing expenditure in this city. Their efforts in a number of portfolio areas have seen significant reductions in a number of key indicators for the territory economy. Their slashing of public sector travel has seen passenger numbers drop significantly through Canberra Airport.
We are also seeing that impacting in our domestic tourism figures. The fact that they have cut all funding from Tourism Australia for any domestic tourism promotion is impacting here in the ACT, as it is in a number of other jurisdictions. Seventy per cent of tourism in this nation is domestic tourism, and the national government has absolved itself from any responsibility for domestic tourism marketing through Tourism Australia. That is very disappointing and it is starting to be seen in tourism figures.
Tourism is an important part of the territory economy, employing 17,000 Canberrans and contributing around $1.8 billion to our territory economy each year. There has been no contribution in terms of domestic marketing from Tourism Australia since the Abbott government was elected. They cut that program. It is disappointing and we are starting to see that in tourism figures, which of course we will be debating later on.
The government will continue to make investments in the territory’s infrastructure, we will continue to support health and education services, and we will continue to invest in public transport, because they are key priorities for this government, key priorities for this community. They go exactly against what is being delivered to this community by the federal government, and that is cuts to health, cuts to education and no interest at all in investment in public transport.
Ms Gallagher: I ask that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.
Civic—revitalisation
MR COE (Ginninderra) (3.23): I move:
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