Page 3978 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 17 November 2015
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Recommendation 38 to the government states:
The Committee recommends that the ACT Government work with all other jurisdictions to establish a National Bushfire Museum in the ACT.
Concurrent with that, you could also add that there is not a national bushfire memorial or monument. There are individual monuments scattered around. Indeed, the ACT has its own. But to bring that story together as a chronology in the form of a monument to those who have suffered and died but also those who served and to honour the volunteers I think would be a good thing.
We also do not have a national peak research body. There is a bushfire CRC, but it is coordinating activities in the other universities and in the research sector. It is subject to funding. I find it quite amazing that in this day and age there is not, for instance, a bushfire institute of Australia. There is not a peak research body collecting this information, analysing it and using it to prepare us better for the coming fire season. (Time expired.)
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Ministerial delegation to the United States and Japan
Ministerial statement
MR BARR (Molonglo—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Urban Renewal and Minister for Tourism and Events) (10.42): I would like to report to the Assembly on a ministerial delegation that I led to the United States of America and Japan between 5 and 14 October this year. The primary objectives of the United States leg of the mission were to promote and raise awareness of the ACT and the region’s strengths as a knowledge economy, a place to invest and establish business links; grow awareness of Canberra’s strengths in innovation, research and advanced technologies; and support the efforts of the delegation of Canberra businesses in building networks, demonstrating technology, gaining insights into US industry best practice, exploring opportunities to access the US market and exploring opportunities for investment.
We also spent a few days in Japan to reinforce the government’s commitment to strengthening the Canberra-Nara relationship and commitments under our sister city agreement with Nara.
Before I detail the mission activities, Madam Speaker, allow me to reinforce the significance of the Australia-US relationship. The United States is Australia’s largest trade and investment partner. Australia and the US conduct more than $A55 billion in two-way trade per annum and have an investment relationship valued at $A1 trillion. Nearly 9,000 Australian businesses sell to, or operate in, the United States.
A large proportion of these astonishing figures can be linked to the success of the Australia-United States free trade agreement that came into force on 1 January 2005 and recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The Australia-US free trade
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