Page 3848 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 8 November 1994
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ADJOURNMENT
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! It being 9.30 pm, I propose the question:
That the Assembly do now adjourn.
Mr Berry: I require the question to be put forthwith without debate.
Question resolved in the negative.
ARTS AND CULTURE - GOVERNMENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Ministerial Statement
Debate resumed.
MS SZUTY: In particular, I would like to be assured by the Minister that cultural planning will be regarded as other aspects of the planning process are, with such modifications as are suggested by the various inquiries currently under way. What I mean by this is that this aspect of the planning process should also be subject to the same community consultation processes, scrutiny and rights of appeal as are urban and environmental planning matters. Having said that, I particularly welcome the fact that one of the cultural planner's first projects will be to develop a Belconnen region cultural plan by assessing the existing situation and suggesting a strategy for the future. While on the topic of new positions, I would welcome the Minister advising the Assembly as to the status of the position of public art coordinator for the Territory, which he announced to the editor of Muse magazine in July. Such a position surely should fall within the ambit of a ministerial statement on arts and culture, and I am surprised that it has not.
Madam Speaker, I welcome the provision of facilities for the arts, including the Cultural and Heritage Centre; the Playhouse redevelopment; the Tuggeranong Community Arts Centre; the upgrade of the Canberra Institute of Technology Woden campus, for contemporary music performance; the upgrade of the Hawker College theatre; and the building of the Street Theatre in Childers Street.
Madam Speaker, the Minister also said in his statement that he believes that the Childers Street area would make an ideal precinct for other cultural groups. He particularly mentioned a government site in Childers Street next to the Street Theatre that has been identified to house Megalo Arts Access, Studio One, PhotoAccess and the Crafts Council - with this facility being available to support the work of both community and professional visual artists. While this concept has some merit, I understand that some members of the organisations that the Minister named have been voicing some concerns about this project. Of particular concern to a number of them is the fact that the proposed facility will have little or no studio space. This means that the artists will largely need to do the creating of their work at a studio remote from these high-quality facilities and then transport the partly finished work to Childers Street. Not only will this be a barrier to the transport disadvantaged; it may also impose the risk of damaging work in transit and have other undesirable consequences.
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