Prominent ACT residents have taken umbrage at Queensland premier Steven Miles’s inflammatory remarks about Canberra yesterday.
Calling for the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to be relocated from Canberra to Queensland, Mr Miles said, “I think everything should move from Canberra to Brisbane. Canberra is an awful place. Who would want to go to Canberra? …
“Whenever I talk to athletes, they would prefer to be training in Queensland rather than Canberra, and I don’t blame them, I hate going to Canberra too.”
Acting ACT Chief Minister Yvette Berry replied: “In Canberra, we’ve got the National Multicultural Festival, the National Gallery, Questacon, the National Arboretum, Floriade, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Zoo, Mount Ainslie, Old Parliament House, Namadgi National Park, the National Library, Lake Burley Griffin, the world famous Belco Owl, and the AIS, the list goes on and on…
“But hey, I hear South Bank is alright.
“Steven Miles, next time you’re down, I’m happy to show you what you’re missing out on!”
Federal Member for Canberra Alicia Payne MP said she was “disappointed” to hear Mr Miles’s comments.
“That’s my home and my community he’s talking about. I don’t think anyone should say something like that about a place that others call home, let alone a Premier about our Nation’s Capital.
“Canberra is the only place in Australia that politicians can get away with putting the boot into, and even score political points for it.
“Canberra bashing is pathetic, and it’s time we moved on.
“Our National Capital belongs to and reflects all Australians. If you’re not proud of it, let’s have a constructive conversation, rather than contributing to a tired old narrative that makes it harder for us to make our city even better.”
ACT Labor MLA Tara Cheyne added: “Some of us moved from Brisbane to Canberra – and stayed.”
ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury suggested taking the premier to Mooseheads, a pub in Civic.
“It’s a fine Canberra institution,” Mr Rattenbury said. “It might help him loosen up a little. We’d just have to be careful he didn’t get all Barnaby Joyce in Braddon on the way home.
“The ACT has a good relationship with all the other state and territory governments across the country. I’m sure the next time various of our ministers see Steven Miles, we’ll give him a bit of a ribbing, but I think he was having a bit of a lark yesterday … Poor old Steven – he doesn’t know Canberra well enough.”
Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee said: “I’m pretty sure Canberrans don’t want you here either, Steven Miles. Canberra is the rightful home of the AIS. The Canberra Liberals have fought for it to stay, and we will always fight for it to stay. It belongs right here in our nation’s capital.”
