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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (24 May) . . Page.. 1677 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

town and district parks at least once. When multiple visits are aggregated, there were 6.4 million visits to Canberra's town, district and neighbourhood parks during 1998-99.

ACT BUSINESS LEADERS DELEGATION TO SOUTH AFRICA

Paper and Ministerial Statement

MR SMYTH (Minister for Urban Services): Mr Speaker, for the information of members, I present the following paper:

ACT Business Leaders' Delegation-Report from ACT Delegation to South Africa-10-20 March 2000 led by Brendan Smyth MLA, Minister for Urban Services.

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Leave granted.

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, I had the pleasure to lead a small delegation to South Africa in March this year to raise the profile of the ACT in South Africa, to look for business opportunities of partnerships, and to quite pleasurably support the Brumbies when they broke their hoodoo at the Newlands Stadium against the Stormers.

Australia and South Africa have very great similarities, yet South Africa has dilemmas of a magnitude that we cannot imagine. It is important that we build relationships there. Three Canberra firms were represented in the delegation. I believe two have now signed or are in the process of signing contracts, and the third has sent its staff back to follow up leads that we established during the visit. It is very important that we promote the ACT. It is very important that we promote the reforms that we have put in place. It is very important that we promote the sort of business that can assist South Africa and that we can learn from so that we expand opportunities for Canberra business.

The delegation was very pleased with what we were able to achieve. The fact that the firms represented on the delegation are now either trading in South Africa or going back to seek more business is an indication of the importance of these sorts of delegations.

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION-GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE

Debate resumed.

MR STEFANIAK (Minister for Education) (3.43): Mr Speaker, I listened with interest to what Mr Berry said. A fair bit of it was said in a quite sensible and concerned way. I was very pleased about that. I say from the outset that we do not have a huge problem with the motion as far as it goes, except for the time lines Mr Berry seeks to put in place.

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