Page 150 - Week 01 - Thursday, 9 April 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
MR HUMPHRIES: Perhaps he did, but there are other possibilities. I have put on record in the past my own view that we ought at some stage to consider accommodation in the old Parliament House across the lake.
Mr Kaine: What about the old Royal Canberra Hospital? That would be a good site.
MR HUMPHRIES: I sense, Madam Speaker, a certain reluctance to consider this proposal. I am not sure whether the terms of reference accommodate considering options other than the South Building; I sincerely hope that they do. But there are other options. Someone mentioned the old Royal Canberra Hospital site - a magnificent site and a building which is considerably underutilised at the present time. Perhaps that is a suitable site as well.
We ought not to close our minds to the prospect of a place outside the city centre because parking is a very great problem for constituents who want to come and see us in this place. I have met many times with people who have had to say, "I have to go now. I have a meter running down there and I cannot afford to hang around here and talk to you any longer"; so off they have rushed.
Mr Kaine: What about if we rent space from the Lyons Primary School?
MR HUMPHRIES: The Lyons Primary School, suggests the Leader of the Opposition - indeed a very interesting suggestion and one which I hope is being considered by this committee. Madam Speaker, seriously, the accommodation question needs to be properly examined, and questions such as whether the Assembly needs to have access to other parts of the Administration, such as a library incorporated in the Administration's facilities, access to the Chief Minister's department as the motion mentions, and matters of that kind, are all quite important. I sincerely look forward to better accommodation and a better infrastructure and better integration of services for the new Assembly.
I think reference was made to having an identifiable space as the ACT Parliament, a place which people knew to be only the Assembly, not something else thrown in as well, such as the Housing Branch or whatever. I am not sure whether that indicates that the Government foreshadows having the whole of the South Building available to the Assembly. It is a large building with, I think, three storeys.
Ms Follett: Two.
MR HUMPHRIES: Two storeys, is it? I thought it had three, but I will take the Chief Minister's word on that.
Mrs Grassby: There is the ground floor, plus two above it.
MR HUMPHRIES: That is three storeys. Maybe three storeys is a bit much for us to use, but perhaps we could expand; I do not know. In any case, Madam Speaker, I welcome this motion as an important step towards - - -
Mrs Grassby: Excuse me; I will go and check.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .