Page 3249 - Week 10 - Thursday, 25 September 2014
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convention centre will generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the city and it should be a top priority for the government”. Minister, how do you reconcile your claim yesterday that the impact of the deferral of the convention centre would be “none” with your claim on budget day that it would allow the ACT to attract more business tourism?
MR BARR: I indicated in my media release at budget time that such a proposal for a new convention centre had the potential. I do not accept Mr Marshall’s position. He has no business case and no basis to have made that claim. Mr Marshall is of course entitled to his views. I am aware of them, and I am aware of the views of a number of organisations who are supportive of new facilities. However, in terms of the impact in the immediate term, there has been no government commitment to the financing of a new convention facility. There has simply been a government commitment to getting it investment ready, and that commitment remains.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Minister, how do you reconcile your claim that the deferral of the Australia Forum will have no impact on visitor numbers with the claims by the Business Council that it would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the city?
MR BARR: Again, they are claims. They are yet to be fully tested by a business case. There are a number of assumptions that are made in the claims by the Business Council, most particularly related to aviation capacity and hotel capacity within the city, and an assumption that current and future convention facilities outside a new centre would be unable to cope with any additional demand, assuming that there is additional demand for conventions in this city, given investment is being made in other cities.
It is not an arms race around convention centres. We are not participating in an arms race. It is not who can have the biggest, shiniest memento for their life goal of building convention centres.
The government will meet its commitments in relation to the parliamentary agreement to have an investment-ready project available to the market, but we have made no commitment to finance the $400 million to $500 million that would be required to build the facility to the standard that is required and outlined by those who are most passionately in support of this particular project, noting that there are a range of other infrastructure priorities for the city.
The government is weighing up its financial contribution and the capacity of the private sector to make financial contributions to that range of projects, and further announcements in relation to the time frame for each project will be made in subsequent budgets.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Minister, why has the ACT government had the replacement of the convention centre as such a low priority for the past 13 years?
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