Page 1410 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 13 May 2014
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Mr Hanson interjecting—
MR BARR: If it is my fault that the federal Liberal government did not invest in the ACT convention centre then that fault must also be equally shared by Senator Seselja, who has no doubt been campaigning strongly for it, by your good self and by the shadow treasurer, who I presume has conversations with his federal counterparts. I have a good relationship with Joe Hockey. I get on quite well with him. But I would not pretend to have more influence with Joe Hockey than the Leader of the Opposition or the shadow treasurer. The federal government’s decision not to invest in the ACT in this budget is disappointing, but we will continue to support this project. The business community is united behind it and the benefits to the economy are significant.
The city to the lake project is also a project that has experienced considerable international and national level investor interest, as well as a strong degree of local interest, in developing premium land in the parliamentary triangle. The government is progressing this project, and I was very pleased with the passage of a second appropriation this morning to begin the design of the public waterfront.
The scope of the project is enormous, and so is its potential for our economy—1.2 million square metres of prime city and waterfront land, the capacity for up to 20,000 new residences, premium sites, mixed-use sites for hotels, retail, hospitality, convention, stadium and aquatic facilities, and a permanent bridging of the divide between the city and the lake with the Parkes Way boulevard. It is certainly a big step forward towards a more vibrant city heart. There is no doubt that this project will be a significant boost to our tourism and hospitality industry and will create a precinct that will provide thousands of new jobs for the territory.
The government’s infrastructure investments also extend into the digital sphere, an absolute imperative in a city whose digital economy is gaining global significance. We are pursuing the opportunity to further leverage and develop our existing advantages in this area. The digital Canberra action plan provides the means to promote the city as a digital investment opportunity, to create digital networks and partnerships, to accelerate the development of the digital economy, to build a city of innovation and connected communities and to support open government and better access to services.
There are already indications that one consequence of cuts to the commonwealth public service is likely to be growth in the number of highly skilled Canberrans looking to get a start in the digital economy. Strategic investments to support this growth and to assist these people are, therefore, an economic imperative of the government.
We are very keen to continue to support the diversification of our economy. It is interesting, when you look at the statistics, just how diverse our economy has become and where the growth has come in the last 10 years. As I have indicated in this place before, nearly 36,000 new jobs have been added into the ACT economy—10 new jobs every day for 10 years, on average. Those jobs have come in a variety of different
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