Page 2701 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 25 August 1993
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CULTURAL COUNCIL - "SHARING THE VISION: A FRAMEWORK FOR CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT"
Paper
Debate resumed from 24 August 1993, on motion by Mr Wood:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (4.40), in reply: Madam Speaker, I want to thank Mr Humphries for his sensible comments yesterday about what may occur in the future and some of the directions we ought to be taking. I believe that this is an important document. It is written in a particular form. Sometimes we get used to documents that are just straight texts, full of words in traditional report language. This is presented in a different format and I think it makes it easier to read, easier to get a grasp of, and it still expresses that important vision. Mr Humphries made some comments about architecture and public art and public art policy. The Government is developing proposals in this area. They are fairly advanced and I expect before the end of the year to be making some announcements in that area. I might indicate that I hope that we can be fairly ambitious in the important area of public art.
Mr Humphries also raised the question of the future of the Arts Forum, that meeting that he initiated when he was Arts Minister. I carried on the format and met directly with those in the arts community who wished to attend. I will be having forums in the future, Mr Humphries, in that same way. The establishment of the Cultural Council does change the processes somewhat; but it is still very important for me, appropriately in the company of the chair of the Cultural Council, to have a direct face-to-face meeting with those people who want to turn up. As a matter of interest, I am going to the Cultural Council meeting tonight to participate and to discuss with them the round of grants that are presently under their consideration.
I think the document indicates the very wide range of consultation that occurs. If you turn to page 50 of the document you will see the membership of the Cultural Council and then the very large additional membership of the committees of the Cultural Council under a whole range of headings. It is a large body and it has its links to every part of the arts community in the ACT. In that way I believe that we get very informed comment coming through to government and, through this document, to the Assembly. I believe that Canberrans value the arts. The figures that Mr Humphries quoted yesterday indicate that we in the ACT have a much greater interest in the arts than is evidenced in other States, even in other major cities. So we do place importance on the arts. I believe that the arts community is responding to that and is providing a very wide range of activities of a very high quality to people in Canberra.
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