Page 457 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 21 February 2018
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co-production company called Panita Productions that will be based in Canberra. Panita has actually secured the rights to localise the hit series The Wiggles as Los Wiggles for a Latin American audience.
Canberra’s creative economy is growing with the support of our government because we recognise the value of this to our city. To help continue to propel Canberra’s economy into international markets, the Chief Minister last year announced that Canberra’s fast-growing screen industry will benefit from a memorandum of understanding signed between Screen Canberra and Screen Wellington. Wellington shares many of the same traits as our city, but it is home to internationally sought-after and award-winning film crews and facilities. That talent will support and help grow our own industry here in Canberra.
With so much to see in Canberra, it just makes sense that we showcase the liveable city that we enjoy every day to the rest of the world. Our tourism industry is booming. It employs over 16,000 Canberrans. Our city is becoming an internationally recognised place to visit. Last year we had more international visitors come to Canberra than ever before.
Our city was named one of the best cities in the world to visit this year by Lonely Planet. Over the past year our city has experienced a record-breaking 228,000 international visitors enjoying all that we love about Canberra. We have seen a 10.2 per cent growth in the tourism industry, contributing $114 million to our economy from the sector.
Our government’s plan is to open up Canberra to the rest of the world. It has been one of the great economic successes that we have seen. We will continue to support that growth. The government has made a concerted effort to attract international visitors and international flights to come to Canberra, with daily flight services through the international hubs of Singapore, through Singapore Airlines, and now Doha, through Qatar Airways. This is not great just for our economy; it is great for Canberrans as well. Canberrans are already benefiting from the positive effects of tourism competition between these two international airlines. We are seeing more services, cheaper flights and higher-quality aircraft enter the market.
Our government understands the economic importance of reaching out and engaging and supporting newly emerging industries and innovators. It was incredible to see the professional, scientific and technical services industry grow by 34.6 per cent in 2016-17. The potential of this industry to Canberra is significant.
Take, for example, our already globally competitive space industry. We have the skills, talent and facilities to build a substantial space industry right here in the nation’s capital. I saw firsthand the work that is being done in my electorate to build satellites at the ANU’s Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre when I participated in a heritage walk with Dr Bradley Tucker on Mount Stromlo earlier in January.
Our government is taking a leadership role in establishing a national space agency to harness our economic strength as a knowledge capital and to grow the potential that
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