Mr EMERSON (1:39 PM) —Like millions of Australians, I was wonderfully excited about the news several years ago that Sydney had won the right to host the Olympic Games in the year 2000. When I first saw this motion put together by government members, I approached it with some trepidation. In general, the tone of it is a negative tone. It is a tone which seeks to denigrate some aspects of the games. My concerns have just been confirmed by the three speakers opposite who have exhibited a miserable approach to the Sydney Olympics to see if they can denigrate and drag down the Sydney Olympics.

We here are excited. We think it is wonderful that the Sydney Olympics are proceeding. I do call on the government to call these people into line so we can celebrate the Sydney Olympics in a spirit of true bipartisanship and as Australians. Maybe I can bring some extra dignity and enthusiasm to the debate by quoting someone about the Olympic Games. He said:

There is nothing in the world like being in the Olympic City during a Games. The brew is one of excitement, anxiety, colour and athletic endeavour that, when taken in deep draughts by any youngster with natural ability, saturates the brain with aspirations that can lead to all sorts of juvenile resolutions. How lucky I was that my mother and father in 1956 took me from Perth to Melbourne for the first time and put me in contact with all this.

Those words were spoken by Herb Elliott, Australia's gold medallist in the 1,500 metres at the Rome Olympic Games. He was one of the world's greatest middle-distance runners of all time. In fact, he was never beaten over a mile or 1,500 metres.

SOCOG has announced its ticketing policy. Five million tickets will be available for sale to the Australian public when tickets go on sale in mid-1999. All Australians are getting an opportunity to be involved in the Olympics and to see the Olympics. Further than that, SOCOG will set aside 1½ million tickets priced between $10 and $19 to enable children and the financially disadvantaged to see Olympic Games events.

What of the impact and the economic benefits, if you like, of the Sydney Olympics? According to the latest estimates of the Tourism Forecasting Council, 1½ million additional international tourists are projected to visit Australia from the mid-1990s to 2005-06 because of the Olympics related exposure. I can point out that half of those tourist visitors are expected to also travel to my state of Queensland. These tourists are estimated to generate an additional $2.7 billion in tourism exports for Australia. Over a 12-year gain period, the Sydney 2000 Games are projected to contribute an additional $6½ billion to Australia's gross domestic product.

Let us look at some of the benefits in the local area. I used to live in Lidcombe, not very far from Homebush Bay. The 760-hectare site of Homebush Bay had been marred for decades by serious environmental damage after years of landfilling and waste dumping activities. Parts of the site have been used variously as naval armaments depots, the New South Wales government abattoir, the state brickworks and as a dumping ground for much of Sydney's household and industrial waste. It is now going to be one of the greatest sporting precincts in the world.

A couple of weeks ago we saw the success of the first operational event at the Olympic stadium which attracted 104,000 people. In addition, we are going to get a superb new site for the Royal Easter Show. As a result of the Sydney Olympics, we are going to see the creation of a major metropolitan park of 400 hectares which will be larger than the city's biggest existing parks, Centennial and Moore parks.

Let us look ahead with generosity of spirit in approaching this issue of the Sydney Olympics. Let us not, as government members seem intent on doing, clutch defeat out of the jaws of victory. Let us support SOCOG. Let us support people like Sandy Hollway, Simon Balderstone and John Bowan, who are former colleagues of mine. I pay tribute to SOCOG and to its professionalism. Certainly, with the re-election of the Carr government and with Olympics minister Knight, it leaves this great task of organising and hosting the Sydney Olympics in good, safe hands.

Mr SPEAKER —The time allotted for the debate has expired. I indicate to the House that the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.