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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 13 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 3815 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

minimise the risk of terrorist attack in Canberra and to refine our response measures in the event of any such attack.

Furthermore, approximately 100 members of ACT Policing will be participating in the first wave of counterterrorism awareness training to be conducted on 26 November and 3 December.

In terms of normal policing activities, I have been assured that ACT Policing is able to continue normal patrol and investigative work, despite the heightened state of alert. This includes any forensic response, should it be deemed necessary by investigating officers-and they are not all in Bali, as some wag said yesterday. The AFP will have the capacity to continue Operation Halite.

In addition, other emergency service agencies are operating on high alert and have detailed emergency management plans in place to deal with any emergency, including terrorist attack.

The fact that the information is of general and non-specific nature in terms of possible targets or timing represents a challenge to all those involved in antiterrorism activity. Members, however, can be assured that we are working closely with Commonwealth and security agencies to ensure that all possible steps are being taken.

As the Chief Minister has previously indicated, all members of the public should remain alert, while going about their normal activities-but let's hope they can still go about their normal activities. I would encourage anybody observing suspicious activity, or something out of the ordinary, to contact the police or, if they do not want to be directly involved, Crimestoppers.

You asked about the Assembly itself. That will obviously be included in considerations, but at this stage we are not giving ourselves anything special.

Canberra Convention Centre

MR SMYTH: Mr Speaker, my question without notice is to the minister for tourism. Minister, I refer to the Canberra Times article of 10 October 2002 about an anticipated decision on the future of the National Convention Centre, a decision the tourism industry is eagerly awaiting. The article reads:

The chairman of the Canberra Convention Bureau, Dennis Souter, said Canberra was falling behind in the conventions market as other cities offered more modern facilities. ... This is an urgent problem for this town.

The article then quotes Nick Proud, general manager of the Australian Hotels Association:

Everyone's bandying around two options, but the third-to do nothing-seems to be the one that's been adopted.

On Saturday 26 October this year, you advised guests at the ACT Tourism Awards that you would be making an announcement about the future of the National Convention Centre this time next year. Why have you adopted the do-nothing approach, as put in

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