Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Minchin. I ask: why on earth did this grim Howard government contrive to turn sunny Sydney into ‘sad city’ while the world watched on over APEC? I ask: what is the response to the tourism industry’s Christopher Brown, who said today:

Empty streets with concrete barriers, high fences and riot squad officers, snipers in buildings and helicopters. We just got out of control ... we just didn’t get the balance right between the imagery and security. It was not the image we should send to the world and I can understand completely why those from the tourism industry, who had thousands of rooms given back and who had no customers for the period in the city ... that there would be a concern today.

What was the cost to the tourism industry of the excess above necessary security? I ask the minister: what gong will this government give to The Chaser for pricking the bubble of grimness the government put over APEC and for giving the world a bit of a laugh?