Page 2926 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 29 June 2011

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In conclusion, I am pleased to see the ACT government committed to undertaking policy work on this matter and hope that it will result in more evidence-based policies and programs which target people in housing stress. It would have been good if the government had acted on concerns sooner about the action plan targets and the need for evidence based policies, however we take it as a positive sign that this is now occurring.

DR BOURKE (Ginninderra) (9.58): I am going to congratulate the minister for two policies, two items, two more instances which are in the area of small business because as you know, members, small business employs more than 50 per cent of the Canberra workforce and small businesses are a significant component of that.

The first program that I am going to talk about is the innovation connect program, which is going to continue to be supported for another four years. This provides step-up funding for technology based businesses and entrepreneurs to accelerate development and commercialisation of products and services. Basically it assists companies at the pre start-up, start-up and growth stages and since 2008 this program has supported 57 local companies.

The second program I am going to talk about is a range of advisory services to support high growth potential firms, accelerating their capacity to grow and attract external development finance. These services focus on mentoring, capacity building and possibilities for accelerated growth. They include preparation for venture financing, innovation and commercialisation strategy advice, and support for the development of high level entrepreneur skills, business sustainability and company value realisation.

Minister, I congratulate you on your support for small business in Canberra.

MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (10.00): I am not sure if I can follow on in quite the same spirit as Dr Bourke but I will do my best.

Mr Barr: Come on; my netball teammate promised me you would say something nice.

MR RATTENBURY: I have got some nice things to say, Mr Barr; it is all right.

I would like particularly to speak about the tourism and sport and recreation elements of the Economic Development Directorate this evening. When it comes to tourism, much of the discussion in the estimates hearings, and certainly then subsequently in the media, focused on the new Enlighten festival. Criticisms were made—Mr Smyth has made them again here tonight—of how little money it made and the number of free tickets given away.

I think there is a genuine debate to be had about who is best equipped to set up festivals such as Enlighten—whether it should be a community-based or artist-based group or whether it should be government. There are arguments both ways; I do not think it is an open-and-shut case. What I do think is important, though, is for festivals


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