Page 1265 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 11 April 2018

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MR MILLIGAN: Minister, are there performance criteria or benchmarks that the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm must meet in order to continue operating at this level?

MS FITZHARRIS: Could Mr Milligan clarify his question as to what “level” he means?

MADAM SPEAKER: Mr Milligan, do you want to repeat the question and provide clarity?

MR MILLIGAN: Yes, Madam Speaker. Minister, are there performance criteria or benchmarks that the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm must meet in order to continue this level of funding?

MS FITZHARRIS: There are two components: ACT Health direct expenditure on staff and the contracted service providers and partners, which are, as we know, CIT; SMART Recovery; the healthy country program, which is part of parks and conservation; the mindfulness program; and Nutrition Australia. Those would all have standard benchmarks, as do all ACT government contracts.

MRS DUNNE: Minister, are there any benchmarks for the performance of the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm? If so, what are they? Will the bush healing farm ever realise its potential and operate as a residential drug and alcohol treatment centre?

MS FITZHARRIS: I think there were three questions within that supplementary. The final one was: will it ever realise its potential? Yes, it will, and I have stated that on many occasions. Certainly, as I said in my previous answer, there are benchmarks and performance criteria in the contracts.

Of course, the overall intent of the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm is to break the cycle of addiction and also to take a holistic approach to working with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to reconnect them to country, to reconnect them with community and to break that cycle of addiction in particular.

Tourism—economic impact

MR STEEL: My question is to the Minister for Tourism and Major Events. Minister, can you please update the Assembly on the latest tourism data for the ACT?

MR BARR: I thank Mr Steel for the question. Tourism’s contribution is now valued at $2.3 billion annually. The sector’s contribution to our gross state product grew at 9.5 per cent. One in seven jobs created in the ACT last year was in the tourism sector. That has taken total employment to 16,800. That is 1,100 more than 12 months earlier. I note that tourism and the hospitality sectors are big employers of young people in Canberra.

MR STEEL: Minister, how does the contribution of tourism support the broader territory economy?


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