Page 4015 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 30 October 2013
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communicated throughout the process. The ACT government cannot be the sole funder of the Australia forum. This project requires the support of the private sector and the commonwealth government.
There are various funding and development models that have been used in this country and internationally that could apply to the Australia forum based on a public-private partnership model. This requires consideration of packaging opportunities having regard to income, incentives and risk allocation. Before the federal election last month the Chief Minister wrote to the then opposition leader, now Prime Minister, urging him to consider a partnership with the ACT government and the private sector on this development.
We will continue to work with the commonwealth to secure their support of this important project for the national capital. I am pleased that in the statement that the Canberra Business Council released they called on the federal government to commit $10 million immediately to complete the detailed planning and design of a new national convention centre and to analyse funding options to bring the Australia forum convention centre to tender-ready stage by 2015.
They have called on the federal government to make an in-principle commitment to providing up to $150 million towards the construction of a new convention centre after the next federal election. They have indicated—and I agree—that both the ACT government and the private sector will be expected to make a co-contribution, including land. I can say very clearly today that the government will make that co-contribution. We have identified the land. The land in question we own and we can make available for the project.
We will continue to work with the commonwealth and with those stakeholders to ensure that this project advances. The government is committed to transforming the city and this is an important element of that transformation. The Australia forum project is a worthy one and will be a key part of the long-term economic and social future of our city.
As regards the specifics of Mr Smyth’s motion, the trust idea was raised back in 2007-08 but has not been in recent conversations. We contacted the Canberra Business Council when this motion was put on the notice paper to seek their view and they advised us that they are not—and I underline “not”—specifying a trust specifically, and that if we read their media release carefully we will see that. The trust is something the Liberals are suggesting.
Mr Smyth: Read the first paragraph.
MR BARR: They say—and this is directly from Chris Faulks—“If you read our media release carefully you will see that we are not specifying a trust. The trust is something the Liberals are suggesting. Initially in around 2007-08 we did propose a trust and we did quite a bit of work on how it would work, how it would be established and structured, its charter et cetera. But we became aware over time that other jurisdictions are moving to other models such as statutory authorities, et cetera. We are, therefore, not specifying what form we think the body should take, rather that
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