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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 11 Hansard (19 October) . . Page.. 3271 ..

MS CARNELL (continuing):

water and control the weather - but unfortunately, apart from Mr Berry, everyone knows there is nothing I can do about the fact that we had some 80 millimetres, or more than three inches, of rain during Floriade.

Mr Speaker, this answer also gives me the opportunity to give a few answers to other urban myths that have been promoted by Mr Berry about Floriade. The first urban myth is that the Government has reduced funding to Floriade. This is simply wrong. The Government provides $1.1m directly to CTEC for this event. There has been no reduction whatsoever. Secondly, Mr Berry claims that Floriade has shown a loss only under this Government. Wrong again. Under Labor in 1994, the last year that Mr Berry was in government, Floriade showed an operating loss of $200,000.

Finally, there was Mr Berry's statement on television last night that this Government was trying to get rid of Floriade by deliberately running it down. This is wrong. Under this Government Floriade has actually been expanded to include a record number of flowers - more than a million bulbs and annuals. Floriade now costs in the order of $2.5m to stage every year.

I know Mr Berry does not like the entrance fee, and I would have to say that obviously other Canberrans do not either. This Government has a choice. We could get rid of the entry fee and $750,000 out of the budget. Do we make Floriade $750,000 less expensive - in fact, take $750,000 off the $2.5m budget - or do we take $750,000 out of health or education or police? There is nowhere else for it to come from. In this year's budget, as Mr Berry would know, entrance fees did account for some $750,000 of the $2.5m budget.

Mr Berry obviously believes that a $10 entry fee for an adult who is not a pensioner or a student is far too much. What about the $15 entry fee to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show or the �40 entry fee to the Chelsea Flower Show in London? What about the $12 entry fee to the Royal Canberra Show? What about the $12.50 it costs to go to the movies?

Mr Humphries: They must have flowers, too.

MS CARNELL: They must. This Government has increased our funding to Floriade. It is a bigger event, a better event. If you throw in the Chihuly glass exhibition that ran very successfully as part of the event this year, you can see this Government's commitment. I have made it clear that Floriade will run in Commonwealth Park next year and the year after, but the only real way forward for Floriade, in my view, is to find a permanent site.

MR BERRY: I ask a supplementary question. If the Government are doing such a great job, why are people staying away in droves? Why is it that yesterday you would not go out and defend Floriade? Why is it that you will not provide the figures? Why is it that you sent a glove puppet out to defend Floriade when you would not do it yourself?

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