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- 28 March 2006
Major Events for Sydney
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Page: 21548
Mr JOHN PRICE: My question without notice is to the Minister for Tourism. What is the latest information on the Government's continuing success in attracting major events to Sydney?
Mr Wayne Merton: The Commonwealth Games. This will be a short answer!
Ms SANDRA NORI: Someone interjected, "The Commonwealth Games." I am the first to say we should all congratulate Justin Madden, the Victorian Government and the people of Melbourne and Victoria on having held a fantastic Commonwealth Games. They were held in great spirit, the venues were great, and the city was sparkling. Of course, that makes me ponder what possessed the Prime Minister to make his recent petty and ungracious comments that the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne were better than the Olympic Games in Sydney. Only a divide-and-rule, mean-spirited Prime Minister like Mr Howard would say such a thing.
He could quite easily and quite proudly have said, "Aren't we lucky to have a city that can put on a fantastic Commonwealth Games, and aren't we lucky to have one that can put on the best Olympic Games ever?" He could have said that, but did not, because he cannot help himself when it comes to New South Wales. One of the things the Olympic Games did for Sydney was boost our bids to win convention and exhibition business. Those successes soared after we won the bid for the Olympic Games, because Sydney is seen as the place to hold conferences—and just as well!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Baulkham Hills will come to order.
Ms SANDRA NORI: It is just as well that Sydney continues to maintain its reputation and continues to win the largest and most prestigious and economically viable business, because if we had to rely on the Federal Government's television campaigns to bring people here, the pickings would be very slim. Honourable member might not realise—it might have been lost in the controversy over the recent television campaign—that barely two years ago the Australian Government launched a multimillion campaign that had to be junked within about eighteen months! Then it came up with the campaign that was released a month ago.
I think that is a nice campaign: it has great visuals, it has warmth, and it has a nice pace. Pity about the tag line! The tag line has already drawn us into controversy in the United Kingdom and Canada, and there are rumblings in the United States of America. It could never be used in Asia, our fastest-growing inbound market. It cannot be used in China or India. And it could never be translated into French, Italian or German and still be polite!
Mr Brad Hazzard: Point of order: If we have to put up with this, it's easy to work out why the bloody hell they aren't here. The Minister is the cause.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Wakehurst will resume his seat. I call him to order for the second time.
Ms SANDRA NORI: It can never be used in Asia, it will not really work in America, it has been controversial in the United Kingdom, and it cannot be used in Continental Europe. So where does that leave us with this tag line? The Commonwealth Government has committed the cardinal sin: making the advertisement more important than the message! Funnily enough, I happen to think Australia is beautiful enough and appealing enough and inspirational enough that we do not have to be controversial.
Ms Katrina Hodgkinson: Point of order: I am afraid the Minister is misleading the House.
Mr SPEAKER: What is the point of order?
Ms Katrina Hodgkinson: She should look at the Bledisloe Cup, and the State of Origin, which was lost to Victoria.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Burrinjuck will resume her seat.
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Burrinjuck will resume her seat.
[Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! From this point, any member who takes a spurious point of order will be deemed to be on three calls to order.
Ms SANDRA NORI: It is okay, Mr Speaker: it is the first time she has risen to her feet about tourism. And, by the way, thanks for the apology.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Minister will address the Chair.
Ms SANDRA NORI: I have to say this about the shadow Minister: When she put an appalling press release on her web site, I am glad it took only one letter from my solicitor for her to pull the press release and put an apology on the site. I really appreciate the apology. It was good. Thank you very much. Sydney has won the right to hold the Rotary International Conference 2014, which will bring 22,000 delegates to this city, 12,000 of whom will be from overseas, 6,000 from interstate, and 4,000 from New South Wales.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is too much audible conversation on both sides of the House.
Ms SANDRA NORI: That conference will inject about $60 million worth of economic activity into this State. Of course, those attending the conference will use the infrastructure we have provided at the Exhibition Centre, at Darling Harbour, the Entertainment Centre, and of course the Superdome. On top of that, many of the delegates will be significant business people. Again, we hope that will provide an opportunity for some business matching and investment opportunities.
We owe John Hutcheson, Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau, a great vote of thanks. He has devoted 10 years to securing this event for Sydney. The feedback we have had from the organisers is that they have never seen such a professional document, and they awarded the conference to Sydney sight unseen and without calling for any further bids. That is to the great credit of the Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau, and it is a great credit to this city, no matter what the Prime Minister thinks.
Questions without notice concluded.
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