Page 175 - Week 02 - Thursday, 25 May 1989
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TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
MRS NOLAN: I have a question to the Deputy Chief Minister. Under the Office of Industry and Development a special transport infrastructure committee has been set up. Could you tell me the terms of reference of that committee, its composition and whether all sections of industry are represented on that committee?
MR WHALAN: I will have to take that question on notice for the next day of sitting.
SHOPPING HOURS
MR COLLAERY: I ask a question of the Chief Minister in her role as Attorney-General. Is the Chief Minister aware that in a recent issue of the Civic Advance Bank quarterly bulletin dealing with trends in economic developments a suggestion was made that shopping hours be extended in the ACT, or at least in the Civic area, to serve the double purpose of encouraging tourism in the city area and countering the image of Canberra as boring? Would the Chief Minister please comment on that recommendation?
MS FOLLETT: I suspect that the question of extending shopping hours is one that should be more appropriately addressed to the Deputy Chief Minister in his role as Minister for Industry. It is an issue on which it might be wise to get a considered reply for Mr Collaery. Therefore, I will take it on notice.
TOURISM
MR WOOD: I direct a question to the Chief Minister, and I refer her to a letter in today's "Canberra Times" which asks about the economic justification for allocating public funds for tourism. Can she tell the chamber the basis of the Government's tourism policy?
MS FOLLETT: I am aware of the letter that appeared in today's "Canberra Times" and I think it is a good opportunity to set the question of tourism's role in the economy in its proper context. Tourism is Australia's fastest growing industry and contributes some $25 billion to our economy, which represents about 6 per cent of gross domestic product. It has been estimated that tourism employs about 400,000 people and that every year some 20,000 more people gain employment in the tourism industry. It is clearly a very major aspect of the Australian economy.
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