Mr FITZGIBBON (2:51 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Sport and Tourism. Minister, can you confirm that a number of conventions scheduled for the next six weeks have been cancelled or significantly reduced in size due to the collapse of Ansett and the US crisis? For example, Minister, are you aware that a minerals conference to be held in Broken Hill in October has been moved to Adelaide, resulting in a loss of $500,000 to the Broken Hill economy? Minister, given that Ansett handles 70 per cent of convention travel, are you able to advise the House how many jobs in this sector are now under threat because of the impact of the Ansett `blip' on the tourism industry?

Miss JACKIE KELLY (Minister for Sport and Tourism) —I thank the honourable member for his question, because it allows me to point out to the House that this morning I had intensive discussions with Jenny Lambert of the Meetings Industry Association of Australia. We have gone over the challenges facing that industry. Jenny— or a representative of the Meetings Industry Association of Australia—is part of the working group that will be assessing the immediate impact, obviously, and bringing forward the medium- to long-term solutions to government.