Page 1914 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 June 1993
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MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, I have not confirmed that I am thinking of a bed tax. I am saying that I am considering the full range of revenues which might be available to the Government. I think that Mr Kaine obviously is floating an idea here which I have no doubt he will use for his own political purposes. I believe, Madam Speaker, that I have made very clear my support for the tourism industry in the ACT. That support in last year's budget, which was also a difficult budget, although not as difficult as this year's, extended to a general exemption for our own tourism operations from the necessity to make efficiency gains. They were one of only two areas in the ACT Administration that did get such an exemption. It also extended to providing additional funding so that the commission might undertake additional work in the way of identifying and supporting events for the ACT. So, quite clearly, I have been a strong supporter of the tourism industry in the ACT. I think that people can draw their own conclusions from that. As far as being drawn on what might or might not be in the budget, as Mr Kaine knows full well, I am not about to fall into that trap.
Crime in Tuggeranong
MS ELLIS: My question is directed to the Attorney-General. I am sure that we have all read recent media reports about crime in the Tuggeranong Valley and brawls involving young people. I ask the Attorney-General: Is the Government concerned about these reports of explosions of crime in Tuggeranong?
MR CONNOLLY: I thank Ms Ellis for her question. The Government was concerned about reports which I received immediately following a fight at the Tuggeranong Town Centre the other week. I was particularly concerned to see the way that that fight had been reported in sections of the media. They suggested that the fight was ethnically based. I was particularly concerned to see a description of a fight between European, Asian and Australian youths. Madam Speaker, all the youths in Canberra are Australian youths, unless they happen to be here on a tourist visa and are merely visiting the country. It is really not helpful to bring in suggestions that it is ethnically based. We have in Canberra a very multicultural population of which we are all very proud. We have in Canberra, living peacefully together, many ethnic groups who in other parts of the world are at one another's throats, and it is very important that we attempt to continue the good relationships we have had in the community. So I am very concerned when I get any reports of ethnically based fights between youth groups, because there is that potential for the troubles of other parts of the world to get into Canberra. We have done very well to prevent it.
I am pleased to report that the police view is that that fight in Tuggeranong the other night was not ethnically based. I originally had some fears that it may have been, and said so, but I am now advised that it was not. It was a set-to between large groups of young people. That clearly is unacceptable. The police response was to mount quite a presence in Tuggeranong over last weekend. I notice that, despite the enormous headlines on the front page of today's Valley View suggesting that crime was out of control in Tuggeranong, they noted that it was a very quiet Friday night. A shopkeeper in the district was quoted as saying, "It was great", when asked about the police response. One would have thought that one could have had a headline saying "Great police response", instead of a headline suggesting that crime is out of control.
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