Page 3872 - Week 12 - Thursday, 30 October 2014
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MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Minister, are you aware that the South Australian government are expanding the Adelaide convention centre, due for completion in 2017, to secure and grow their market share of Australia’s convention and business meetings industry?
MR BARR: Yes.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Minister, why is yours the only government in Australia that will not support the provision of appropriate convention centre facilities in their jurisdiction?
MR BARR: We are not.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Lawder.
MS LAWDER: Minister, are you aware that large conventions are unable to come to Canberra because of the lack of available facilities at the Canberra convention centre?
MR BARR: Depending on the size of the convention, there are a range of other supply-side constraints in this city, including the number of hotel rooms, the size of our airport and the lack of international flights. There are a range of factors that would preclude this city from hosting large conventions of the 10,000, 20,000 or 30,000 delegate range. We do very well, though, in the smaller associations market. In our centenary year we had a massive influx of interest.
Mr Smyth: And we are turning people away.
MR BARR: In our centenary year, we went out and targeted a big program of business events. We were not able to fit everyone in. It is not the case that that level of demand is there for our city every year. It is not there every year, and a number of associations moved their events out of sequence in order to have an event in Canberra in our centenary year. But it was the centenary year that was the contributing factor, not the level of facilities in the city.
Planning—Yarralumla brickworks
MR DOSZPOT: My question is to the Minister for Economic Development. Minister, the Canberra brickworks public consultation closed in July with the response to community feedback due to be delivered by the end of September. The response has now been delayed due to the overwhelming feedback and submissions the LDA has received. Minister, what level of support was there for the brickworks proposal in its current form in the community’s submissions?
MR BARR: Mixed. The results were about fifty-fifty amongst Yarralumla residents in the survey work that was undertaken by the LDA, with about 68 per cent support for the proposal across the city. There is a degree of dissatisfaction within the suburb of Yarralumla. That is understood, and the proposals are being modified and a further draft proposal will be put forward.
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