Humphries Crippled By Election Panic

Wayne Berry - Opposition Spokesperson on Tourism

Media Statement - 26 April 2001

Labor Shadow Tourism Minister Wayne Berry has described the Humphries Government as a "Government crippled by election panic" following the release of ACT Government pamphlets contradicting this weeks decision to ditch the Floriade fee.

"The distribution of this pamphlet clearly shows that the Humphries Government has resorted to policy making on the run in order to shore up its flagging electoral chances," Mr Berry said.

"On Tuesday the Chief Minister Gary Humphries announced that he will ditch the Floriade fee, and that Floriade will remain in Commonwealth Park for 'the foreseeable future'. A popular decision in the wake of community anger and falling Floriade visitors.

"Then, the Deputy Chief Minister Brendan Smyth announced that the fence would stay, even though the fee had been ditched. The reason - Floriade is a construction site. BUT the so-called construction site had no fence on Tuesday when the Deputy Chief Minister was there. AND Floriade had no fence in all the years in the past when it was free.

"Then the Deputy Chief Minister revealed that he was still looking at different sites for Floriade - So much for what the Chief Minister said.

Today the government publication 'Floriade - Australia's Celebration of Spring' continues to show fees for entry to Floriade.

"A major criticism of the Tourism industry over the last three years has been the way decisions about Floriade are dumped on an unsuspecting public, at the last minute with no warning and no co-ordination.

"It happened in 1998 when the fee was first introduced - all the promotional material had been prepared without knowledge of the fee. Tourism operators had done all their preparation and all their bookings based on free entry. "It happened again in 1999 and 2000 with last minute changes to the fee and the cancellation of night events at Floriade.

"If the Government had accepted the recommendation of my Assembly Committee in 1998 to revert to a gold coin donation there would be no Floriade fee and the community would not be faced with the pathetic spectacle of a panic stricken government making decisions on the run.

"The changes to Floriade have once again turned into a farce," Mr Berry concluded.