Page 2988 - Week 08 - Thursday, 15 August 2019
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indoor facilities. And this comes off the back of a report, two years in the making, into indoor sporting facilities in Woden, Belconnen and Gungahlin.
What does this budget provide them, despite the evidence and recommendations from this report about the need for extra facilities and multipurpose indoor facilities in particular? Again, as with most things, this government just does not seem to be able to spend taxpayer dollars in a way that reflects the expectations or needs of the community. They do not service the sports grounds efficiently or effectively, they do not build facilities that keep pace with population growth and they do not support grassroots sport and recreation. I will continue to liaise with clubs and community groups and continue to raise these important issues with the government so that in future budgets they might consider providing the much-needed support that these clubs in the ACT need.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, Minister for Tertiary Education, Minister for Tourism and Special Events and Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment) (11.36): I will comment on a number of different areas within this budget allocation that cover many of my portfolios but indicate that I will return at other points in the debate to contribute further.
I want to focus my comments initially this morning on economic development, trade, investment and industry, the CBR Innovation Network, special events, and tourism. I will come back to tertiary education, training and research skills, treasury and other economic outcomes in a later part of the debate.
I can report to the Assembly that the ACT economy remains one of the strongest and most advanced in the country. Whilst other economies in Australia are faced with long-term transitions away from reliance on traditional industries and natural resources, the key driver of the ACT’s economy is our service export sector, particularly in the areas of higher education and tourism.
I can report to the Assembly that today more than 60 per cent of Canberrans work outside the public service in a wide range of local industries, including higher education, tourism, construction, health care, professional services, hospitality and innovation, to name a few.
The ACT government’s economic development strategy is to continue to diversify the local economy through encouragement of the development of key industry sectors and to further build awareness of Canberra both nationally and internationally as a great place to live, work, visit and invest in.
I can report to the Assembly that we have the lowest unemployment rate in the country, and we are continuing to work to ensure that we can attract and develop the skills that we will need to support our growth industries.
Expanding the ACT’s private sector business base is an important aspect of increasing our economic diversity, maintaining stable economic growth and creating new job
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