Page 3881 - Week 12 - Thursday, 30 October 2014
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MR SMYTH: Minister, what was the reason for the 16.4 per cent fall in visitor nights spent in the ACT, and what is the reason for the 17.4 per cent decrease in average per night spending by visitors to the ACT?
MR BARR: Those figures are somewhat impacted by decisions of the commonwealth government in relation to travel for public servants. We are also seeing that having some impact upon the overall business market as a result of declines in commonwealth government travel that have always been an important part—
Mr Hanson: Who won the Olympics, Andrew? Was it John Fahey or Bob Carr, or did you mislead the Assembly?
MR BARR: It was John Fahey. That is a good point. It was John Fahey, delivered by Bob Carr.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! This is not a conversation.
MR BARR: I will acknowledge that. John Fahey did the big leap; Bob Carr actually delivered the event.
Members interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, members! Mr Barr has the floor.
MR BARR: On Mr Smyth’s substantive question before the interjections, there are obviously broader economic trends that are impacting upon people’s discretionary spend. So, yes, the election of the federal government has sapped consumer confidence right across this country. There is no doubting that. And you are seeing decreased spending in a number of areas, particularly from those voters who have been slugged by the federal Liberals in the most recent budget.
Multicultural affairs—symposium
MS PORTER: My question is to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. Minister, today we saw a multicultural interfaith symposium. What messages have so far come out of the symposium about building a welcoming multicultural and multifaith Canberra?
MS BURCH: I thank Ms Porter for her question and I also thank the members of the Assembly who participated in this morning’s event. The feedback and the messages so far have been very positive and it was a very welcome opportunity for many of our multicultural leaders and our multifaith leaders.
There will be a full write-up that will go out to participants and a general report, but some of the commentary that has come out so far has recognised that some of those tensions are not as bad here—or do not exist to the same extent—as they may be in Melbourne or Sydney.
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