Mr McADAM - 2002-05-23
What is the status of the Alice Springs Convention Centre? What benefits will the opening of the Centre bring to the Territory?
Mr Burke: Great CLP project.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for the question. I will pick up on the comment from the Leader of the Opposition and acknowledge first up in responding to this that the initiative to go ahead with the construction of the Alice Springs Convention Centre was an initiative of the previous government, a great initiative, and one that was fully supported by the opposition at that point in time. I am looking forward to the opening on Saturday night and I am sure that all members from Central Australia and other members will be there.
This government and myself as tourism minister are looking to build on that initiative and make sure that we get that return on investment that the initiative was founded on. I believe the Chief Minister is coming down on Saturday night, and it will be a fantastic night. All up, $8.5m was committed towards the construction of the Convention Centre. I would like to pay tribute to Sitzler Brothers, the builders; architect, Tom Kern and project manager, Pat Coleman from Darwin. A great job that came in on time and under budget.
The facility is to world standard. It incorporates up to 1200m of exhibition space and a 120 seat amphitheatre set against the MacDonnell Ranges. To complement this, the Lassiters group have also doubled their capacity at the Casino with the construction of an additional 70 rooms at a cost of $14m. This project really has leveraged some significant economic opportunities in Alice Springs.
Honourable members might like to realise that a federal Bureau of Tourism Research study called Meetings Make Their Mark estimated that a four day convention with 600 delegates generates $1m worth of expenditure in the local economy. This extends to local and small business such as restaurants, tour companies, coach companies, dry cleaners, printers, the list goes on. The same size convention is also estimated to create or sustain the employment of twelve people directly, and six people indirectly.
Major projects for this year include the Australian Local Government Association in November with 800 delegates, and ATC’s Dreamtime Trade Show in September. Next year, a major corporate conference has been booked for September with 1300 participants.
I had the privilege in Sydney a few months ago to launch the Convention Centre to conference buyers, convention centre organisers, a really good turn out. We must have had 60 or 70 people and they were excited about this. The main thing that came through was that people were looking for new venues and new opportunities all the time, and I believe that those bookings will come through loud and strong for many years.
To complement this, what we are doing is a total strategic review of the Tourist Commission. People would have seen the ads in the paper on that. A major focus of that is the conventions market and the business travel industry. Our new CEO, Maree Tetlow, has a background and many skills in this particular area and will be able to deliver strongly and capitalise on that investment. The future prospects are very good.
It has also been brightened by Qantas’s recent announcement for more services to Alice Springs from June this year. I am pleased to inform the House that, in spite of the negativity from members opposite, that from June this year, and I am sure from Central Australia you will be able to be really pleased to hear this, we will have 472 more seats into Alice Springs in June this year than June last year. So, a significant achievement, and we all want to see a second airline flying into Alice Springs in order to see competition into Alice Springs.
The bottom line is, we have protected the tourism industry for this year. That is a great credit to Qantas. We are going to have at least 472 more tourists here in June this year than June last year, and we look forward to seeing members from Central Australia at the opening on Saturday night.
Madam SPEAKER: Do we have any other member from the opposition who would like to ask a question? I do not know whether I am inclined to acknowledge the member for Blain after his performance yesterday. Member for Blain, I hope you are going to watch your words today.
Mr Burke: Great CLP project.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Barkly for the question. I will pick up on the comment from the Leader of the Opposition and acknowledge first up in responding to this that the initiative to go ahead with the construction of the Alice Springs Convention Centre was an initiative of the previous government, a great initiative, and one that was fully supported by the opposition at that point in time. I am looking forward to the opening on Saturday night and I am sure that all members from Central Australia and other members will be there.
This government and myself as tourism minister are looking to build on that initiative and make sure that we get that return on investment that the initiative was founded on. I believe the Chief Minister is coming down on Saturday night, and it will be a fantastic night. All up, $8.5m was committed towards the construction of the Convention Centre. I would like to pay tribute to Sitzler Brothers, the builders; architect, Tom Kern and project manager, Pat Coleman from Darwin. A great job that came in on time and under budget.
The facility is to world standard. It incorporates up to 1200m of exhibition space and a 120 seat amphitheatre set against the MacDonnell Ranges. To complement this, the Lassiters group have also doubled their capacity at the Casino with the construction of an additional 70 rooms at a cost of $14m. This project really has leveraged some significant economic opportunities in Alice Springs.
Honourable members might like to realise that a federal Bureau of Tourism Research study called Meetings Make Their Mark estimated that a four day convention with 600 delegates generates $1m worth of expenditure in the local economy. This extends to local and small business such as restaurants, tour companies, coach companies, dry cleaners, printers, the list goes on. The same size convention is also estimated to create or sustain the employment of twelve people directly, and six people indirectly.
Major projects for this year include the Australian Local Government Association in November with 800 delegates, and ATC’s Dreamtime Trade Show in September. Next year, a major corporate conference has been booked for September with 1300 participants.
I had the privilege in Sydney a few months ago to launch the Convention Centre to conference buyers, convention centre organisers, a really good turn out. We must have had 60 or 70 people and they were excited about this. The main thing that came through was that people were looking for new venues and new opportunities all the time, and I believe that those bookings will come through loud and strong for many years.
To complement this, what we are doing is a total strategic review of the Tourist Commission. People would have seen the ads in the paper on that. A major focus of that is the conventions market and the business travel industry. Our new CEO, Maree Tetlow, has a background and many skills in this particular area and will be able to deliver strongly and capitalise on that investment. The future prospects are very good.
It has also been brightened by Qantas’s recent announcement for more services to Alice Springs from June this year. I am pleased to inform the House that, in spite of the negativity from members opposite, that from June this year, and I am sure from Central Australia you will be able to be really pleased to hear this, we will have 472 more seats into Alice Springs in June this year than June last year. So, a significant achievement, and we all want to see a second airline flying into Alice Springs in order to see competition into Alice Springs.
The bottom line is, we have protected the tourism industry for this year. That is a great credit to Qantas. We are going to have at least 472 more tourists here in June this year than June last year, and we look forward to seeing members from Central Australia at the opening on Saturday night.
Madam SPEAKER: Do we have any other member from the opposition who would like to ask a question? I do not know whether I am inclined to acknowledge the member for Blain after his performance yesterday. Member for Blain, I hope you are going to watch your words today.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016