Page 1484 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 28 March 2012

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I strongly commend AIE for their business. I very much thank Mr Seselja for moving this motion. I would also like to say that I thank Dr Bourke for moving his amendment, which I think is an excellent amendment that recognises the importance of the government’s business development strategy. It should cover the transition to a clean and sustainable economy of which, I am sure, AIE will be a part.

MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (6.24): I move the following amendment to Dr Bourke’s proposed amendment:

Omit subparagraph (g), substitute:

“(g) the business development strategy will include a strategy for the interactive entertainment sector;”.

Whilst I do not have major dramas with Dr Bourke’s amendment, my issue with it is that it takes what is a specific part of the motion and then talks in somewhat vague terms. It talks about the government developing a business development strategy that covers all business sectors. This is calling for specifics when it comes to interactive entertainment. While the second part of the amendment—where it says, “The business development strategy will include a strategy for the ACT to transition to a clean and sustainable economy”—is commendable, that is not what this motion is actually about. It is focusing on this particular sector. This amendment would actually make that clear by amending the second part of Dr Bourke’s amendment. I think it is important, given all members seem to agree with the intent of this motion today, that this would replace paragraph (g) and include:

the business development strategy will include a strategy for the interactive entertainment sector …

I think that more accurately reflects what this motion is about. Instead of talking in the broad, we are talking about a specific sector here. We should put on record our support for this kind of activity. I would, therefore, commend my amendment.

DR BOURKE (Ginninderra—Minister for Education and Training, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Corrections) (6.25): The government will not be supporting Mr Seselja’s amendment to my proposed amendment.

MS LE COUTEUR (Molonglo) (6.26): The Greens also will not be supporting this. I think we are very clear that we think the interactive entertainment sector and ICT in general must be part of this strategy. My concern is that if we start listing all the sectors that we want to support, we are not going to get them all in. It just becomes silly that if we leave out one sector in an Assembly motion it is not going to be included. We need to stress to the government that they need to get the strategy out. It is something that the Greens have been pushing the government to do. We want them to do it soon. We want them to do it well. If they are foolish enough to omit the interactive entertainment sector then I think we need to criticise them for that. But I do not think we need to go down to this level of minutiae in saying how it should be developed.


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