Page 4101 - Week 15 - Thursday, 17 December 1992
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CANBERRA THEATRE TRUST
Annual Report for 1991-92
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning): Madam Speaker, for the information of members, I present, pursuant to the Audit Act 1989, the Canberra Theatre Trust annual report for 1991-92, including financial statements and Auditor-General's report. I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
I want to make a quick comment. I point out to members a significant change reflected in this report, and that is that for the first time in many years there has been an upturn in the number of attendances at the theatre. I want to commend those responsible for that turnaround. The theatre has had some difficult times recently. The Playhouse was closed for a while, they lost the restaurant next door because of the expectation of some other facility going there, and many other venues have provided strong competition. Additionally, the present configuration of the theatre is not ideal. The Government's commitment now to spend $5m on the Playhouse will make it easier for the Theatre Trust to keep this upward movement in terms of attendances. I want to congratulate them for that change.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
A.C.T. PUBLIC SERVICE - ESTABLISHMENT
Ministerial Statement
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I ask for leave of the Assembly to make a ministerial statement on the establishment of a separate ACT Public Service.
Leave granted.
MS FOLLETT: I thank members. Madam Speaker, in April this year the Prime Minister, Mr Keating, wrote to me proposing that the Commonwealth and the Territory commence moves towards establishing a separate ACT Public Service. Mr Keating proposed a target of 1 July 1993, although he recognised at the outset that this was an ambitious target and that some slippage might occur. In my reply to the Prime Minister's letter I said that we would be prepared to commence the action suggested by Mr Keating provided that this could be done under what I called mutually acceptable arrangements.
I went on to outline three threshold issues that were of concern to us. First, I stated that the transition to a separate service could occur only with full union involvement. In other words, our Government is committed to a tripartite process involving, from the outset, unions, the Territory and the Commonwealth.
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