Page 1254 - Week 04 - Thursday, 21 April 1994
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Mr Berry: I remember that.
MR CORNWELL: Well you might, but then you are in no position, Mr Berry, as an ex-Minister for Health, to be concerned about controlling finances, I would suggest, given the health blow-outs in this city. I remind members of the 1993 Estimates Committee recommendation at paragraph 3.208:
in relation to the National Hotel School of Excellence full comparisons of budget to actual results be provided to the Estimates Committee in future years to ensure adequate public scrutiny of what may be a high-risk venture.
It is a venture, I submit, whose high risk status has not been moderated by the Government's stubborn refusal to establish the Australian International Hotel School as a TOC. Further, it is a venture that already has incurred $117,000 in consultancy costs, according to the 1993 CIT annual report tabled in this house yesterday. The Minister might like to tell the Assembly, when he closes the debate, whether these costs are paid from the $11m loan made by the Government or are part of CIT's operating expenses. Nevertheless, we support the venture. We wish it well and, conscious that until this legislation is passed only an interim management advisory board can exist, I commend the Bill and the motion to the house.
MS SZUTY (7.55): Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, having listened to Mr Cornwell's comments, I am afraid that I do not share his reservations about the Australian International Hotel School, and I would like to expand on that in my remarks. I commend the process that was used to develop the concept of the Australian International Hotel School and to define the details of its structure and operation. We all know, I am sure, of situations where someone has had a bright idea and rushed into it without giving it due consideration. In many cases the project fails, due either to the lack of market research or to insufficient attention to detail. That is certainly not the case here.
The idea that significant benefit could accrue to the ACT from the establishment of a hotel school to train managers was first suggested in 1991. The benefits of optimising the use of educational infrastructure while fostering tourism as a generator of jobs and investment were considered to be most attractive. Following further development of the concept, Tourism Training ACT and Region undertook a feasibility study, with funding from the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training. This study showed that there was a market for and a strong industry interest in hotel executive management education in Australia and that the ACT was well placed to undertake this.
An advisory body drawing on industry expertise was then established to develop the concept further. It became clear that the feasibility study needed finetuning. Market research was done to determine demand for a hotel management school and the results of this research were tested with a qualified independent consultant.
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