Page 3062 - Week 09 - Thursday, 21 September 2006
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
The comment has been made that sometimes the momentum will keep going and you might not notice the effect in the first year, but you certainly will notice the effect in the outyears. Given the already dramatic decline year on year in the international figures, that is something that we really do need to keep an eye on, something that we need to monitor very closely.
That being said, the work that has been done to develop Floriade in the last couple of years certainly has been very effective. All power to the former minister, Ted Quinlan, who not only encouraged Australian Capital Tourism but also got into the swing of things and dressed up. Last year he came as an ageing rock star, as many of us will remember, complete with a wig, a waistcoat and love beads. I thought the minister might get into the carnivale theme this year and take up the cudgels that Mr Quinlan had transferred to him. The opportunities there were enormous and we were all very hopeful, but no, he wore a very conservative suit and the staff were dressed in red T-shirts. The award on the day would actually go to two ladies from the CSIRO who got into the theme of things and dressed up as bumblebees, including black strainers that had been converted to bee eyes. They got points for initiative on that score.
In terms of marketing, I think the flags down Commonwealth Avenue are very good. Whether you like the colour scheme or not, you certainly notice the pink and it really does stand out. The displays, as have been talked about, have been absolutely fantastic. The weather has been gorgeous. I am sure the early heat is helping. I hope it will not hinder the second half of Floriade. If it gets too hot, the blooms will start to wilt. Whoever came up with the concept of having Tara Moss launch it in a dress of roses with 3,000 petals was absolutely inspired. The day was quite interesting, Mr Temporary Deputy Speaker. I do not know whether you were there, but most of the men were certainly interested in the guest speaker, as were most of the women.
The comment from a lot of the blokes was, “Yes, she is stunning.” The comment from some of the women as they looked at the gorgeous Tara Moss in her dress of roses is absolutely unrepeatable in this place. But she certainly did what had to be done; that is, capture the attention not only of the ACT press, because we all know Floriade is on, but also of the national press and, I assume, the international press. Perhaps the minister can tell us how far the coverage went, but it certainly put Floriade on the map. So, in that regard, it was absolutely well done.
The point though, and I will come back to it for a final time and then sit down, is that there is a clear link between the amount you spend on marketing and the results that you get in tourism. The experts say it, the industry says it and retired departmental secretaries say it, and I hope the minister has heard that message. The $4.5 million cut probably will not be felt too much this year, but it certainly will be felt in the outyears. If you want the continuing return of the $20 million of direct spending and what comes from that, which is the indirect taxation that goes directly to the ACT government, if you want to balance your budget, if you want to keep schools open, if you want to employ more nurses, if you want more police officers on the streets and if you want to find some money to repair some of the potholes that are emerging around the place, tourism is actually one of those industries that do give you a return.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .