Page 843 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 27 February 2013

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MR BARR: I thank Dr Bourke for the question. The region had entrants in nine categories at the tourism awards held in Hobart. I am pleased to advise the Assembly that Floriade won the silver award in the major festivals and events category, Questacon won bronze in the tourist attractions category and the CIT tourism and hotel management faculty won bronze in the tourism education and training category. We were well represented across the range of categories.

We were unlucky perhaps for Floriade not to win back-to-back awards in that major festivals and events category. However, it would appear that the Tamworth Country Music Festival was in fact the more compelling submission this year, and Floriade had to settle for second place. Nonetheless this should not detract from the quality of the application that was put forward this year and the strength that Floriade has in that major festivals and events category, regularly being a finalist and having won the category, and this time in Hobart finishing as a runner-up.

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Dr Bourke.

DR BOURKE: Minister, what support is the ACT government providing so that our tourism attractions and events can continue to be some of the best in Australia?

MADAM SPEAKER: Sorry, I am just trying to think how that relates to the first question, which was: can you update us on recent success at the tourism awards in Hobart?

Members interjecting—

MADAM SPEAKER: I am sorry; it has to have something more in common with the subject matter than it is to the same minister.

DR BOURKE: Madam Speaker, it actually refers to the substance of the minister’s answer to my previous question with regard to the attractions and events that are hosted in the ACT.

MADAM SPEAKER: I think you have a good point. I was just contemplating whether it was there.

MR BARR: Thank you, Madam Speaker. It would have been an extraordinary position to not have been able to talk further about support for tourism attractions and events.

Mr Smyth: To what? Read the answer to your dixer?

MR BARR: Mr Smyth, yes, I know of your long-running interest in the tourism portfolio, so I would have thought you might have been interested in this. The government will, of course, continue its support for the annual blockbuster fund, committing $1 million a year to help market major events in the city. We will continue our support for the Enlighten festival. We are establishing an international marketing campaign for new direct international flights into Canberra.


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