Page 1778 - Week 06 - Thursday, 19 May 1994
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We do not believe that the centenary of Federation entitles Canberra to some sort of billion dollar wish list paid for by other States. We do submit, however, that the year 2001 is an appropriate timeframe by which we should mark the completion of major infrastructure projects which would see the national capital linked to other major population centres. In that, our submission was very much along the same lines as the Chief Minister's. We spoke about road links and we spoke about a high-speed train service with Sydney. We also spoke about the need for decisions to be made on Acton Peninsula and on Yarramundi Reach in the very near future so as to ensure that the National Museum, on whichever site it is built, will be open in time for 2001, the centenary of Federation.
Like the ACT Government, we also supported the view that 1 January 2001 should be known as Federation Day. Federation Day must be a celebration, again, as the Chief Minister said, for all Australians. Unlike Australia Day, Federation Day did not bring with it the animosities of some of Australia's early history. To this end, it must be part of a multicultural festival as well as incorporating a major component focused upon the contribution of Aboriginal culture and society to modern Australia. Canberra does already have a unique multicultural flavour. Having Canberra as a focus for Federation Day celebrations is complemented by the presence of most of the world's embassies in this city. I am sure that they would have a great deal of pleasure in contributing to a multicultural festival associated with this celebration.
Like the Chief Minister, the Opposition brought forward a number of specific events that could be part of the celebrations. We suggested a special joint sitting of all Federal, State and Territory parliaments at Parliament House to mark this celebration. We suggested that this be a convocation with leaders of neighbouring Pacific and Asian nations. We suggested that national institutions, such as Old Parliament House, the National Gallery, the National Library, the National Science and Technology Centre, the Film and Sound Archive, the War Memorial, the Institute of Sport and, of course, the proposed National Museum should compile and promote special displays to mark Australian and Aboriginal achievements over the last 100 years, as a celebration of what we have become as a nation and what we could become in the future. These institutions, we believe, should be open free of charge for this period to symbolise the fact that they do belong to the people of Australia and they do represent the pinnacles of achievement of our cultural, sporting, scientific and political history. We also suggested that, as 2001 is the eightieth anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force, this could be a centrepiece for celebrations in Canberra.
We suggested, contrary to Mr Ian Warden's view on balloon festivals, that we believe that a hot-air balloon festival, featuring possibly 100 balloons to mark 100 years of Federation, would be useful for the national capital. We put this forward because we believe that part of these sorts of celebrations is their attractiveness to the media in terms of photographs. If we want photographs of Canberra to be everywhere, they have to be attractive. We suggested that this might be a way to ensure that pictures of Canberra were not only on the Canberra phone book but on every phone book, once they are out. We perceive that that is one way we can ensure that pictures of Canberra are on every television station around the world.
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