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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 3 Hansard (25 March) . . Page.. 883 ..

MS CARNELL (continuing):

of this city and for our children that we as an Assembly do not treat these events politically, that we get behind them and make them work, not just for the Assembly but for Canberra.

We have already heard just how many dollars they produce. Every one of those dollars has an impact on jobs, and jobs are the things that I would have thought everyone in this Assembly would take on board as the bottom line requirement. Jobs and economic growth produce a future for the city. It is almost a challenge to everyone in this place to get behind all of those major events that will give us not just a national focus but an international profile over the next couple of years. Let us make them work the best we can. Yes, we can have a go at each other all the time, if that is what others want to do, with regard to other issues. But when we are marketing Canberra, when we are conducting these events, when we are looking at the Olympics, the centenary of Federation or whatever, let us be together and let us make it work.

MR CORBELL (4.50): Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, let us imagine an event that pulled in $2m a year for the ACT economy. Let us imagine an event that drew 18,000 visitors a year for the ACT economy. Let us imagine an event that could attract international level competitors to a venue here, with all of the associated support for the ACT economy. Let us imagine an event that attracted people not only from interstate but also from overseas. Let us imagine an event at a venue which was unique in all of the ACT and New South Wales. Would that not be a great thing for Canberra? Would that not be a fantastic thing for Canberra? Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker, we have got something like that. It is called the Canberra International Dragway. The Canberra International Dragway does all of those things.

Mr Hargreaves: It used to.

MR CORBELL: As my colleague Mr Hargreaves says, it used to. Do you know what, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker? It is closed. It cannot operate. Why can it not operate, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker? It is because, for all of the fine words of this Government and for all of the fine words of the Chief Minister and the Minister for sport, they have failed to uphold their obligations to make sure that that dragway gets going again with a new lease. They are refusing to do it, even though the dragway's lease document quite clearly says - - -

Mr Stefaniak: Rubbish! Why do you not join us in trying to get the Commonwealth to live up to its obligations?

MR CORBELL: I know, Bill, that you got rolled on this, so I think you should be a little bit quiet about it. This venue produces major events for Canberra.

Ms Carnell: I take a point of order, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. Telling untruths in this place is, I would have thought, contrary to standing orders. If those opposite want to join with us in writing to the Commonwealth to get them to extend the lease, I would be in it.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

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