Page 1925 - Week 06 - Thursday, 2 May 1991
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Civic Square Redevelopment Project
MR WOOD: I direct a question to the Chief Minister, as Treasurer and Casino Supremo. Given the failure to proceed with the section 19 redevelopment, do you remain committed to developing an enhanced cultural precinct on section 19? In particular, what action are you going to take on the Playhouse, which you closed prematurely?
MR KAINE: Mr Speaker, what now happens with section 19 will depend on whether or not we still get a proposal to redevelop it. That is a matter for the private sector to determine; whether in their view section 19 is the place, and whether they believe it viable to redevelop it at the present time. We will not know that until the proposals are in. I know that as a result of the bids called for by your Government when you were in power, which obviously set unreasonable constraints on what was expected, it was a complete failure. We hope to do better this time round, and I think we will.
In terms of community facilities, I said in my statement to the house yesterday that we would commit ourselves to using the premium that is paid for the casino licence for the provision of community facilities. What that will provide and where they should be provided remain to be seen. Following our commitment to community consultation, once we know the amount of money available, we will be taking that matter up with the appropriate community groups to determine what kind of facility should be provided and where. It may not necessarily be on section 19 if it is the wish and desire of the community that something be provided somewhere else.
MR WOOD: I have a supplementary question relating to the second part of my question. Seeing that as part of the casino project the Playhouse was closed, what is the future of that?
MR KAINE: As I said, Mr Speaker, the future of section 19 remains to be determined. In anticipation of a successful outcome to the process set in place by the Labor Party, we vacated the North Building. It would have been essential that it be vacant if there had been a successful proposal. The Playhouse operation really was a part of the necessity to have the site ready for development had we got a successful outcome. Depending on what happens over the next three or four months, the Government will have to reassess. If there is not a proposal to redevelop section 19 - I am not going to anticipate the outcome as it may well still be a viable proposal; but in the event that it is not - then the Government will have to consider what other options are open to it in connection with not only the North Building and the Playhouse Theatre but the whole of section 19. I think you are asking a bit much, Mr Wood, to expect me to tell you what we might have to do in six months' time when we do not yet know the outcome - - -
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