Page 2901 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 August 2013
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MR SMYTH: I did not mean dissenting, no; I mean the actual report. Did I say dissenting? I do apologise. Thank you, Treasurer, for that correction. It is in the estimates report; the dissenting report is all about love and kisses. (Second speaking period taken.) The dissenting report is that amazing document that has a lot of duplication. Forty-eight or so of the recommendations are duplicates. There are about 500 that just blow love and kisses to the Treasurer. I do apologise for making that mistake. Thank you, Treasurer.
The recommendation says that we need strategies for accommodation—that it is not just a matter of saying, “We have got a block of land; let’s sell it.” We do need long-term strategies for events, particularly in the summertime when there are particularly low vacancy rates—and in the wintertime as well. And of course we need a strategy for new attractions.
The government is working on a new strategy. We have got a new marketing program to come out at the end of the year. We will await those with interest and see whether or not the government puts some effort into its strategy for the following five years and whether or not the government actually puts some money behind the new branding strategy. Without actually using it, it is going to be pretty worthless in that regard.
There is, I think, much potential in the ACT for the business community. We do need to get rid of the red tape that restrains it. We do need to make sure that the essential infrastructure is there to allow it to do its business. And we do need to advertise that we are here—that we are a great place not just to live in but to run your business in. It is Canberra by name, Canberra by nature. We are a place where you can meet with the various universities that we have here, with the heads of department, the research organisations, the federal government itself and the ACT government. There is a lot to be said.
I do not think that in anything we see coming from the government there is any commitment to realising that. That is a shame. It was interesting to see Kevin Rudd, in the debate on Sunday night, saying that he wants to diversify the ACT economy. There you go. After six years, federal Labor has also found the need to diversify.
Mr Barr: I think he probably said the Australian economy.
MR SMYTH: The Australian economy. Hopefully, this minister will learn that he has got to diversify the ACT economy. Perhaps from both federal and ACT Labor we will see some genuine commitment to the business community, to free them up to make sure that they can get on with doing what they do best, which is doing business, not meeting requirements and filling out forms for government, not being hindered by government.
We will comment on this more in relation to the commerce secretariat, but it is about how the government goes about procurement so that they do not waste the time of business. Perhaps the biggest red-tape reduction program the government might
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