Page 793 - Week 05 - Thursday, 6 July 1989

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School Visits to Canberra

MR MOORE: My question is directed to the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education. He is aware that the Residents Rally has proposed that all school students throughout Australia be encouraged to make a visit to the national capital. What concrete steps has the Minister taken to implement this well-received proposal?

MR WHALAN: The Canberra Tourist Bureau has upgraded its activities in the schools promotion area. In recognition of the importance of the youth market to tourism in the ACT, the bureau has appointed a youth promotions manager to define the area and develop strategies to attract youth to Canberra, not just in the traditional school excursion groups but also in family and sporting groups.

Far from reducing its services to school groups, the bureau has carried out a comprehensive review of the services previously provided and has begun a program of developing these services to meet more closely the needs and capture the imagination of today's school children. For example, a theatre program is being developed to replace the lecture on Canberra. A series of youth news sheets featuring photographs of Canberra children and celebrities is being published, emphasising the many and varied attractions of our city and its region.

To support our travelling youth sporting teams in their role as tourism ambassadors, the compete in the capital project has been devised in liaison with the sport, recreation and racing branch of my department. It is vital for us to recognise that the experience of children brought to Canberra must be exciting and memorable so that they return home as dedicated ambassadors for their capital.

Bruce Stadium

MR JENSEN: My question is directed to the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education. Is it correct that he has made claims that the Bruce Stadium will hold some 28,000 people when it has been refurbished? If so, how does he explain the discrepancy between this figure and the specifications for toilets in the upgraded stadium for only 16,000 people?

MR WHALAN: The provision of toilet facilities has been one of the extraordinary disadvantages of the current facilities at Bruce Stadium. It has always been a feature of Bruce Stadium that there has been insufficient provision of toilet facilities for spectators at the stadium. That was not quite so important because the stadium was very rarely used, so very rarely did the demand arise for toilets to be there.


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