V Australia Airlines Sydney Headquarters

The Hon. HENRY TSANG: My question is directed to the Minister for State Development. Could the Minister please inform the House what the New South Wales Government is doing to increase overseas investment in Sydney?

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I thank the honourable member for his timely question and ongoing interest in the economic prosperity of our great State. In fact, only yesterday I joined the Premier and Sir Richard Branson for the announcement that Virgin Blue had selected Sydney as the operational headquarters for V Australia, its new international airline. It is great news for the people of New South Wales. We are showing the world that under the Iemma Government this State is open for business. This announcement shows a real contrast between the Government and the Opposition. One need only read the front page of this morning's Sydney Morning Herald to see it. The Opposition should be thanking us. We have knocked their internal squabbles out of the headlines for them.

Whilst members opposite are naval gazing and squabbling over control of their own party branches, we are getting on with the job of delivering economic growth and opportunity for the State. Virgin Blue's $44 million investment is a massive vote of confidence in this State and its workforce. The operational headquarters will include an aircraft simulator and cabin crew training facility, which will allow V Australia to conduct its Boeing 777 pilot and cabin crew training here in New South Wales.

The Hon. Duncan Gay: Are they going to allow you to fly up the front?

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I hope so. All up this announcement means 1,000 new jobs for New South Wales and includes positions as diverse as pilots, flight crew and ground staff. The announcement has also reconfirmed our status as Australia's global city and main international tourism and aviation gateway. The announcement creates an additional 500,000 tourist beds and around $76 million of additional visitor spending a year for Sydney and outer regions. I am pleased to advise that Virgin has agreed to spend an average of $1 million per year for five years on an international marketing campaign so numbers of new visitors to our State could be even higher. This is nothing less than a big economic win that will benefit the whole of New South Wales. Virgin has made a very wise decision to base its headquarters here in New South Wales.

Our State boasts a strong infrastructure network and a workforce that is well educated and multilingual. We have the largest and most diverse economy in Australia. We generate a third of the nation's gross domestic product and we have a third of its population at 6.8 million. But, importantly, we also boast a Government that is out there promoting the State to the world, a Government that is actively seeking new opportunities for business and job seekers. It is this attitude that proved the difference.

We were able to show Virgin that Sydney was the place for them and I pay tribute to the Department of State and Regional Development [DSRD]. The DSRD team did a terrific job in selling the benefits of Sydney ahead of rivals Melbourne and Brisbane. The department's investment division superbly coordinated the effort. It involved Tourism New South Wales and the department's policy and resources division and communications team. Successes like this are the fruits of our Government's State Plan, and our endeavour and determination to get this business into New South Wales, with great benefits for the people of New South Wales.

The Hon. Duncan Gay: How much is it going to cost?

The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: It is easy for members opposite to say, "How much is it going to cost?" We wanted them here. We set out to get them. They wanted them in Melbourne and Brisbane but we got them here. They sit there worrying about minor matters when an extra $76 million per year will be coming into this economy. What a dropkick mob this Opposition is.