Page 1142 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 25 March 2015
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Again, we would like to thank Ms Fitzharris for bringing this motion on and for bringing to the attention of people that it has been hard for the private sector under this government. Given that the Treasurer, Chief Minister and Minister for Economic Development has been responsible during a large portion of that time, the condemnation of his activity is duly noted. It is quite courageous of the member to stand up to her Labor colleagues and say, “Things are wrong here and they need to be fixed.” Ms Fitzharris, for your efforts today in outing the Chief Minister in this way, thank you very much.
You only have to go to the history of some of the events to know that this is a government that does not respect the intellectual property of private enterprise. In particular, I refer to the balloon fiesta and Science Week. We used to have a private organisation that ran the balloon fiesta. We used to have a private organisation that ran Science Week. Over time, the government collected their intellectual property and learnt what they did. In some tenders now, you actually have to give over to the government your intellectual property on how you will run your event; otherwise the government will not help, will not allow it or will not provide assistance. What you have to do is surrender your hard work. Then, lo and behold, what does the government do?
Mr Coe: Politburo.
MR SMYTH: Just like the Politburo, the government pulls it back into the system and runs these events itself. I notice that at the recent balloon fiesta, which we all love, there were textings going out that there were 45 balloons in the air. One person rang me and said they counted 28. They could not see the other balloons purported to be there. The problem here is that you have got a government that had these events—
Mr Barr: You spend your time counting balloons, do you?
MR SMYTH: No; the balloonists spend their time counting balloons, Chief Minister. They like keeping people like you in control. Most of them were there looking for Skywhale. Skywhale here? Skywhale there? Skywhale nowhere! The only legacy of the centennial year is the Skywhale, and Andrew Barr has packed it away. If Mr Rattenbury had his way, we would be protecting sky whales on Lake Burley Griffin. If not the Sea Shepherd, we would have the “Sea Shortage” or the “Sea Canoe” on Lake Burley Griffin. There will be Mr Rattenbury in his waders and his sou’-wester hat with a harpoon or a crook. There he will be, warning Andrew Barr off from the Skywhale. But no, Skywhale knew better; Skywhale got scared. Skywhale—
Mr Hanson: Skywhale’s for sale.
MR SMYTH: No. Skywhale, unfortunately, is now the subject of a domestic dispute. Who owns Skywhale? The ACT government, in their wisdom, spent almost $350,000 on an artwork that was to epitomise the centenary. Now it is an abandoned child. It is an orphan child. It has been discarded by this government and it is now the subject of divorce proceedings, I think in the Family Court in Victoria, where one of the potential owners—
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