Page 1576 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 May 2017
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The ACT is currently seeing the benefits of many years of focus on bolstering our economy and protecting jobs. Business confidence is the highest in Australia; unemployment is at national lows; and our economy is strong, with growth in the university, retail and construction sectors. We are investing a record $2.9 billion in infrastructure to deliver a strong pipeline of major infrastructure projects. These are projects that will bring local jobs and enhance our city, making it an even better place to live, work and relax.
We are leveraging our strengths by continuing to promote Canberra as an education destination. The university sector alone contributes $2.6 billion annually to our economy and brings 16,000 jobs into Canberra. We know the importance of diversifying our economy, which is why we support cutting-edge programs and incubators to encourage entrepreneurs and innovators in the ACT.
Just last month Entry 29, Canberra’s biggest start-up community, opened a satellite hub at the University of Canberra. On top of that, we are attracting record numbers of international visitors and we are now working hard to establish Canberra as an international trade hub for our region.
As you can see, Mr Assistant Speaker, the ACT government is utterly committed to a strong job market. However, the reality remains: the Australian public service is a key element of our economic security. Our strong economy comes off the base of a strong public sector. The fact is that decentralisation will pull the rug from under our feet. And for what?
No cost-benefit analysis has been done. There was no cost-benefit analysis for the move of the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority either, and that move is currently mired in a mass staff exodus. Decentralisation will undermine the ACT’s economy and what we have worked and fought so hard for. It will disrupt the lives of Canberrans whose familial, social and work networks are firmly established in the ACT, and it will jeopardise the efficiency and expertise of the Australian public service.
The decentralisation option is already causing uncertainty in Canberra, casting doubt on investment decisions and causing public servants to enter limbo as they wonder what the future holds for them and their families. If decentralisation occurs, thousands of federal public service jobs in Canberra are at stake. As a result, the viability of many Canberra businesses will be jeopardised.
When the proposal to move the Department of Immigration and Border Protection from my electorate in Ginninderra in 2015 was on the table, it was estimated to rip $30 million from small businesses in the Belconnen town centre alone, threatening hundreds of jobs. The finance minister said at the time:
We are very mindful of the fact that the Commonwealth is a major tenant across the ACT, but also individual departments are major tenants and major contributors to local economies in specific areas in and around Canberra. As such, obviously, when certain decisions are made, it is important to appropriately consider relevant local impacts.
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