Question on Notice regarding the Treasurer's comments on the appeal of the mining industry to tourists and its impact on regional tourism and small business confidence. The Minister acknowledges the importance of both mining and tourism to WA.

AnsweredQoN 174Legislative Assembly
Asked
13 April 2006
Portfolio
Tourism

QuestionView source ↗

MINING INDUSTRY AND TOURISM
I refer the minister to the comments made by the Treasurer yesterday when he ridiculed the suggestion that our mining industry is of interest to tourists, and to these facts: there were 53 000 visitors to the Australian Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame last year; that 45 000 people visited Newman, with up to 15 000 visitors joining the mining tour; that Tom Price had 26 000 people through its visitors’ centre; that Karratha had 80 000 visitors, and 3 500 people went on the Hamersley Iron mine tour. (1) Does the minister support the Treasurer’s comments? (2) Will the minister concede that Western Australia’s mining industry has unique attributes that appeal to visitors and that it is an important component of the regional tourism industry? (3) Given that small business confidence in regional areas has decreased by 15 per cent between November 2005 and January 2006, does the minister believe that the Treasurer’s disparaging remarks are at the very least unhelpful, and at worst damaging? Ms S.M. McHALE

AnswerView source ↗

I thank my friend and parliamentary colleague for that question. Hopefully we can end on this question; it has become a bit of a tit-for-tat question. (1)-(3) I said a couple of days ago that we have a fantastic state. It is a great state that people want to visit for a whole range of reasons. The member for Carine’s figures demonstrate that. Of course the mining sector is an incredibly important sector for our community, in terms of both resources and tourism. I think the question we had yesterday was not so much about tourism as about the opposition’s policy on uranium mining. I know that the Treasurer supports the tourism industry very, very strongly, as I do.
(1) Does the minister support the Treasurer’s comments? (2) Will the minister concede that Western Australia’s mining industry has unique attributes that appeal to visitors and that it is an important component of the regional tourism industry? (3) Given that small business confidence in regional areas has decreased by 15 per cent between November 2005 and January 2006, does the minister believe that the Treasurer’s disparaging remarks are at the very least unhelpful, and at worst damaging? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: I thank my friend and parliamentary colleague for that question. Hopefully we can end on this question; it has become a bit of a tit-for-tat question. (1)-(3) I said a couple of days ago that we have a fantastic state. It is a great state that people want to visit for a whole range of reasons. The member for Carine’s figures demonstrate that. Of course the mining sector is an incredibly important sector for our community, in terms of both resources and tourism. I think the question we had yesterday was not so much about tourism as about the opposition’s policy on uranium mining. I know that the Treasurer supports the tourism industry very, very strongly, as I do.
(2) Will the minister concede that Western Australia’s mining industry has unique attributes that appeal to visitors and that it is an important component of the regional tourism industry? (3) Given that small business confidence in regional areas has decreased by 15 per cent between November 2005 and January 2006, does the minister believe that the Treasurer’s disparaging remarks are at the very least unhelpful, and at worst damaging? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: I thank my friend and parliamentary colleague for that question. Hopefully we can end on this question; it has become a bit of a tit-for-tat question. (1)-(3) I said a couple of days ago that we have a fantastic state. It is a great state that people want to visit for a whole range of reasons. The member for Carine’s figures demonstrate that. Of course the mining sector is an incredibly important sector for our community, in terms of both resources and tourism. I think the question we had yesterday was not so much about tourism as about the opposition’s policy on uranium mining. I know that the Treasurer supports the tourism industry very, very strongly, as I do.
(3) Given that small business confidence in regional areas has decreased by 15 per cent between November 2005 and January 2006, does the minister believe that the Treasurer’s disparaging remarks are at the very least unhelpful, and at worst damaging? Ms S.M. McHALE replied: I thank my friend and parliamentary colleague for that question. Hopefully we can end on this question; it has become a bit of a tit-for-tat question. (1)-(3) I said a couple of days ago that we have a fantastic state. It is a great state that people want to visit for a whole range of reasons. The member for Carine’s figures demonstrate that. Of course the mining sector is an incredibly important sector for our community, in terms of both resources and tourism. I think the question we had yesterday was not so much about tourism as about the opposition’s policy on uranium mining. I know that the Treasurer supports the tourism industry very, very strongly, as I do.
Ms S.M. McHALE replied: I thank my friend and parliamentary colleague for that question. Hopefully we can end on this question; it has become a bit of a tit-for-tat question. (1)-(3) I said a couple of days ago that we have a fantastic state. It is a great state that people want to visit for a whole range of reasons. The member for Carine’s figures demonstrate that. Of course the mining sector is an incredibly important sector for our community, in terms of both resources and tourism. I think the question we had yesterday was not so much about tourism as about the opposition’s policy on uranium mining. I know that the Treasurer supports the tourism industry very, very strongly, as I do.
I thank my friend and parliamentary colleague for that question. Hopefully we can end on this question; it has become a bit of a tit-for-tat question. (1)-(3) I said a couple of days ago that we have a fantastic state. It is a great state that people want to visit for a whole range of reasons. The member for Carine’s figures demonstrate that. Of course the mining sector is an incredibly important sector for our community, in terms of both resources and tourism. I think the question we had yesterday was not so much about tourism as about the opposition’s policy on uranium mining. I know that the Treasurer supports the tourism industry very, very strongly, as I do.
(1)-(3) I said a couple of days ago that we have a fantastic state. It is a great state that people want to visit for a whole range of reasons. The member for Carine’s figures demonstrate that. Of course the mining sector is an incredibly important sector for our community, in terms of both resources and tourism. I think the question we had yesterday was not so much about tourism as about the opposition’s policy on uranium mining. I know that the Treasurer supports the tourism industry very, very strongly, as I do.

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