Page 1302 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
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ACT the right place for the development of the Australian e-sports industry. This is a sector that is only going to grow more and more in the foreseeable future. We need to strike while the iron is hot.
The e-sports industry is beginning to gain recognition in other global cities. For the ACT to become an industry leader in the region, we must act soon. There is vast potential for the ACT to become a tourism hub in the sector for the Asia-Pacific region. This will align with our international engagement strategy in diversifying our local economy and delivering smart city initiatives. The Canberra international engagement strategy makes clear that we are striving towards education, research and tourism partnerships with China, the US and greater Asia, and an e-sports strategy that includes attracting tournaments from overseas would make headway on this goal.
An e-sports hub in the ACT is also a smart move. It would mean hundreds of new jobs for Canberrans in research and development, infrastructure and education in electronic gaming. An e-sports strategy in the ACT will benefit both our education and tourism sectors, while creating a multitude of local jobs for Canberrans. That is why I call upon the members of this place to support the motion.
MR MILLIGAN (Yerrabi) (3.26): I take this opportunity to thank Mr Pettersson for raising this important matter. Many of us here in the Assembly have a personal interest in e-sports. This motion has elevated that interest for discussion in this chamber. His motion also notes potential links with Canberra and opportunities for us to exploit this new market for tourism and growth. But that is where my praise ends.
The wording and evidence used in Mr Pettersson’s motion were a bit of a concern. There were so many references to American dollars and American examples of e-sport. At first I thought it was Mr Pettersson’s other interests that led him to this strange argument. But then I googled some of the facts he listed and I found a report he may have well used to mount his case. Madam Assistant Speaker, I seek leave to table this article for everyone’s reference. It is an American article that has clearly been such an inspiration for Mr Pettersson’s motion today.
Leave granted.
MR MILLIGAN: I table the following paper:
eSports graduates to the big league: Can the industry help media and entertainment companies access a changing audience?, dated 23 July 2019.
I thank the Assembly. Instead of relying on the American experience, American projections and American comparisons, I extended my research and found some amazing examples right here in our own back yard. This is on top of the many gaming recreational groups I already know of in the ACT and, of course, our emerging technology and gaming industry.
I take this opportunity to share with members some more relevant examples for both the Australian context but more specifically the ACT context. For most millennials and techno-fans, e-sport is not a new thing. E-sport is competitive video gaming that
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