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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 9 Hansard (23 November) . . Page.. 2440 ..

Mr Wood: How was the show the other night?

MR MOORE: It was lucky it was not raining. I think Mr Wood is referring to last night.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Let us discuss the show tonight, which is Division 140.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, you know very well that I am talking about a particular arts thing in the division that deals with arts and heritage. I am perfectly in order, Mr Speaker, and I think I ought to continue to speak on it. If I wish to address a particular show last night within this, I have absolutely every right to do so and will continue to do so.

MR SPEAKER: Tell me, Mr Moore: Was it a farce?

MR MOORE: Indeed, Mr Speaker, although not as much as some of the rulings I have heard over the last six years from the Chair in this Assembly.

MR SPEAKER: Thank you. At least you are not directing your comments at this Chair, or I would caution you not to.

MR MOORE: Mr Speaker, you heard my exact words, I am sure, and I am glad you gave me that opportunity. The issue was that it was raining and the roof did not appear to me to be leaking. I am sure that there is a real issue about the roofing of the theatre, but it is one that needs to be taken seriously.

MS McRAE (9.20): Mr Speaker, I will just further address the question of art. I want to point out to Mr Humphries how lucky we were with Hal Guida and his associates and the people who managed this project because they, more than anyone else I have ever met, drive the inclusion of artwork in any public work. You only have to sit outside in the gardens to see how well they have been crafted. I wanted to bring to the Assembly's attention in particular, given that this issue has been raised, that the centre table here, the Speaker's table, and the seats outside were handcrafted specifically for the Assembly as part of the public artworks presentation. I realise that the quality of the furniture that has come from a factory in Melbourne is almost as good as the handcrafted work. We were exceptionally well served by the craftspeople that Hal Guida selected.

To infer in any way that this building, of all buildings, did not include a conscious application of public art and accessibility of art in its finish and its interplay with the building would be a very sad thing to leave on the record. One of the things that I think were outstanding about the whole project was the way in which Hal Guida and his associates integrated their concept of art, which in their mind was addressed in every finish, every fabric, every room of the building. We were very lucky in the end that the person who recommends on the interior design, as well as their gardener and their art adviser, were an integral part of the project. If you see each room as it has been furnished by the architect and then the pieces that were specifically commissioned and designed for the building, it will reiterate the point that certainly for this building we can demonstrate exactly what Mr Humphries wants for all other public buildings - that artworks should be an integral part of any building built in the future. As to the Magistrates Court building, I do not know.

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