Page 2532 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 1 August 2018
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We will certainly not be apologising for setting the bar high to enter and to stay in the building industry. The ACT government is committed to improving the quality of buildings in the territory and compliance with building laws is a priority for Access Canberra.
Additional resources have been committed in both policy and operational areas to achieve this outcome. This includes inspectors and auditors who work cooperatively with industry to ensure that both builders and buildings comply with the regulatory framework. There are many builders in the ACT who are doing the right thing and building quality buildings. We want to ensure that they can continue to do so and that they are not squeezed out of the market by those who are doing the wrong thing.
Chief Minister—Asia trade mission
MS CHEYNE: My question is to the Chief Minister. Chief Minister, can you give the Assembly an overview of the various inbound investment opportunities you highlighted during your recent trade mission to Asia?
MR BARR: I thank Ms Cheyne for the question.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Resume your seat, please, Chief Minister. Stop the clock. Mr Coe, I have asked you a number of times to refrain from interjecting. Please, see if we can get to the end of question time without my calling you again. Chief Minister.
MR BARR: The primary focus of the mission was, of course, on investment, trade and tourism opportunities. I met with 10 financial institutions across the three Asian markets that we were participating in with this trade mission. We took the opportunity to promote a range of property investment opportunities across those three markets. These are, of course, large commercial investors.
I am very pleased to advise the Assembly of the significant interest, firstly, for investment in Australia. Our nation is seen as a stable and secure place for investment and there is growing interest in Canberra particularly, given recent moves by state governments in New South Wales and Victoria to put in place a range of measures to discourage foreign investment, particularly in their property markets. We have, I think, a very positive story to tell, and that was well received across the three markets.
In addition to inbound investment, the government also focused on opportunities in partnership with the CBR Innovation Network and ANU Connect Ventures to secure more venture capital for start-ups and SMEs in Canberra. That included a series of pitches from those start-ups for that venture capital direct to the series of forums, particularly one in Singapore.
In Hong Kong I had the opportunity to meet with the Ovolo hotel group to pursue tourism investment opportunities. (Time expired.)
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