Page 1202 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 24 April 1990
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Mr Wood: You would never allow Calthorpes' to be sold, would you?
MR DUBY: I will come to that later in my address, Mr Wood. The heritage, conservation and museum presentations of these properties are recognised by heritage and museum organisations throughout Australia as meeting very professional standards. We also have, of course, Blundell's Cottage, which I am pleased to say my department maintains and operates. It is open to the public on a daily basis, something that once again demonstrates our commitment to the maintenance of the ACT's heritage.
Of course, there are other places around town that people do not often think of as being part of a heritage. We have got the lovely Canberra merry-go-round in the heart of the city. Once again that is an object that has been around, I think, since 1914. It came from the St Kilda Esplanade in Melbourne.
Mr Kaine: It was bought by Jim Pead.
MR DUBY: Bought by Jim Pead, was it? Well, there you go.
Mr Kaine: Yes, that was his legacy to Canberra.
MR DUBY: Well, good on Jim. He has done a marvellous job there; there is no question about that. We are keeping that up, and keeping it up very well. We are not allowing these items to go into disrepair. Indeed, we are allocating many resources to keeping them and preserving them for the future.
I hardly need to mention - but I do not think anyone else has - the famous Albert Hall. It was built in 1928, I believe, and is still maintained by my department to a high standard. On many occasions it is available for use by the public. We have fine displays in there of colonial architecture and things of that nature. As I have said, I think the commitment that this Government has to preserving the cultural aspects of the ACT is demonstrated by the amount of time and the resources that it has allocated to various aspects of heritage here in the ACT.
Another thing that I think needs to come out in this matter of public importance is that heritage is not just about physical attributes or physical pieces of building; the cultural heritage of society also definitely needs to be maintained. I think the Government's commitment to multicultural and ethnic affairs is second to none. It has allocated funding to the Ethnic Communities Council of the ACT. The Canberra and District Historical Society, which operates out of the Griffin Centre here in Civic - strangely enough, it is a matter relating to a question today - has received support from the ACT Government.
We definitely acknowledge the need to preserve our history. We acknowledge the role of the historical society, and
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