Page 3804 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 8 November 1994
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familiar place to as many people as possible. I realise that that is only one small step. I thought very much at the beginning of the Second Assembly that it was part of my responsibility as Speaker to try to change a little the image that we had unfortunately gathered around this Assembly, and partly to continue the process of educating the community about what the Legislative Assembly was about and to gain wider acceptance. I think collectively we have achieved a great deal on that front.
Another of my responsibilities, through the Committee on Administration and Procedures, was to facilitate and oversee the move to this building. As Mr Humphries has already pointed out, I did answer questions on the infrastructure that has been built to allow for broadcasting; but, of course, that does not include the cameras and the microphones. I believe that that is the area of cost which Mr Humphries quite rightly has pointed out. It does deserve further discussion as to who will incur that cost and then how we will deal with that. It may be that we incur the costs and then charge for the use of it. It may be that somebody may be contracted to put the material in. In the process of putting this building together, submissions from all sides, from all parties, were in agreement that that infrastructure should be there. So, the building is ready to go, more or less, for the broadcasting and televising of proceedings.
Already this building has vastly improved the capacity of the public to come. As you can see, we do have 50 per cent more seating there for the general public. Today they have chosen to stay home, of course; but we do see it full on more contentious days or when we have invited groups. In time we hope to see it more regularly used. Members will have enjoyed the exhibitions upstairs. That is part of the greater plan to make this building a more interesting building. It is not just us talking; there are other things happening within this Civic Centre that we share.
We have already facilitated as much broadcasting as we can. I think it is quite clear that we all agree that further sharing of our activities is important. We have seen it in regard to the budget speech and at question time, to provide updated footage. We have seen some work in the chamber. As Mr Moore has said, the time will come when committee work will also be televised. We have not done that yet; but the facilities, the infrastructure, will be quite easily put into place. All that will happen. We still need to look at the costing, as has been said. Whilst the infrastructure was able to be provided in the construction of this building, the employment of staff, the installation of video recording and the ongoing running of this was beyond the project. As Ms Follett has said, it will need to be part of a budget bid next time around, when members agree. This is something that we can look at, perhaps in the next Assembly, perhaps in the Administration and Procedures Committee, as Ms Follett has suggested.
The other question that members have alluded to, which is one of great importance, is the privilege issue relating to broadcasting concerns. In the absence of legislation I have sought some advice on this. We will need legislation to provide the full range of legal protection for those involved in recording and rebroadcasting the proceedings. Particularly if the broadcast has been judged to be defamatory, there are regulations that will need to be in place for that. I understand that we will have to look at that.
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