Page 1386 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 2012
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They are welcome but if you are trying to plan and you want to get into people’s agenda now, every day that we leave this—and if we leave it until September—we let the business community down. Yes, I support that the government work with the business community because they will help drive the benefit but they have got to have something to work with. Saying “here is a glimpse but we have not got the detail” is not helping the business community.
2013 should be a great year, looking forward, for the people of the ACT because it allows us to say: “We have grown out of our adolescence period. Here we are, a modern, competent, mature, culturally diverse city that offers so much not just to Australia but to the world as an example of how cities can work in the future.” But I think at this stage we are not capitalising on it. I commend my amendments to the motion and seek the support of the Assembly.
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (11.15): The Greens welcome the opportunity today to discuss the centenary of Canberra and the tourism potential attached to that, as well as issues relating to Canberra Airport. The year 2013 is a major milestone for our city. It is one that there is a palpable level of excitement around amongst many people who are looking that far ahead. From my own perspective, it has already started to build up. In the build-up to the centenary there have already been some marvellous events put on in the city. I remember very clearly the event up at Black Mountain tower when the box was cut open that contained the original design package for the competition to design Canberra, which, of course, was ultimately won by the Griffins. The opening of that box was quite an event. It is something that I will remember for a very long time. There was the exhibition at the National Library of the maps that helped form Canberra. Maybe I am just a bit of a history geek on these fronts, but I am certainly enjoying learning more about the history of our city.
That said, next year needs to be much more than just a celebration for Canberra residents. As I think Mr Smyth has touched on, it is vitally important that this is a national celebration. It is a point of national significance. It is, I believe, an opportunity for all Australians to celebrate their national capital. Of course, loaded into that is a tourism benefit for the city, one that will be very important for our local businesses. We know how significant the tourism sector is. Of course, in the context of this city, any sector that is not in the government sector is a good one to develop.
Research from groups like the Canberra Convention Bureau shows that people who come to this city to attend conferences come back. There is also the impact of the school visits. Many people that you meet who come as tourists talk about the fact that they have not been here since they came on a school tour when they were 12 or 13 years old, but they have always had it in mind to come back to Canberra. In that context, the centenary is an excellent opportunity to encourage perhaps those people who have had a taste or always thought they should come to check out the national capital. It is a perfect opportunity to invite them to come back to this city and to showcase what this city is. It is not just about looking back. It is about examining our history—reflecting on the growth of the city, the way it has matured and how it has changed over the years—and then showcasing what the city currently is. It is a very vibrant, cosmopolitan city. It is an opportunity for us to tell the story about what the city has become. I think that is an important part of it as well.
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