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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 8 Hansard (26 June) . . Page.. 2182 ..

MR DE DOMENICO (continuing):

consultant's recommendations for comment before any final decisions are made, unlike the previous Government, which did not release the Deloitte review of the Library Service for either staff or public comment. Why did they not do that? One wonders why. I urge the Opposition and the Independents not to take the recommendations out of context in order to play politics. Let me repeat that. Please, do not take the recommendations out of context in order to play politics. Our library services are too important for cheap games. For example - - -

Mr Whitecross: You took them out of context when you released the report.

MR DE DOMENICO: You listen. Sit back and listen, because you are the one I am talking about. Turn around and ask Mr Wood for his opinion, because he is wiser than a lot of us in this place. A recent article in the Chronicle quotes this week's Leader of the Opposition, Mr Whitecross, as making unfounded allegations about doing away with story time. Mr Whitecross is quoted in the Chronicle as saying that we are going to do away with story time. Can we all remember what Mr Berry said before the last budget? We came into this place and we said, "Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong". It seems that the disease is catching. Mr Whitecross has the Berry disease. There is no mention anywhere in the report of abolishing story time but what did Mr Whitecross say? He said "Oh, the world is going to end tomorrow. Little kids are going to be missing out on story time". What bunkum! How dare you create this unwarranted angst, Mr Whitecross! Have you not learnt that that is not the way to play politics? It is not even Labor style, even in the ACT. It is another case of Mr Whitecross shooting from the hip. Last week it was the Sharps, before that the police. Whom are you going to have to apologise to next week, Mr Whitecross? Perhaps it will be your own colleagues and this Assembly and the community.

Let us have another example. The consultant makes recommendations for three possible options relating to Kippax and Gungahlin. We heard what Mr Whitecross said here. The review recommends no change to the service at Kippax. So much for Mr Berry running around saying, "They are going to close Kippax down, too". The report recommends no change in the immediate future. It mentions the possible redevelopment of Kippax to a more high-tech library in the medium term, and the final suggestion is that it merge with Gungahlin. It gives us three options. They are only options, but what does Mr Whitecross do? He has made up his own mind, obviously, and comes in here and tells us that it is a fait accompli.

Mr Hird: It is a long way between Gungahlin and Kippax.

MR DE DOMENICO: It is a long way to Tipperary, too. He has not been there either, Mr Hird. If the latter were an option, a larger library could be required. Wow! Do we not want a larger library, Mr Whitecross? Do we want a larger library? Yes or no? Do you want me to repeat the question? No answer from Mr Whitecross. Thank you. The important point is that these are all recommendations and options for consideration and not, and I stress "not", final proposals. I look forward to Mr Whitecross's submission, in fact. The recommendations have been available for public comment and staff consultation over the past month. Once again public consultation and consultation with staff are heresy to Mr Whitecross. Is that not a good way of doing things?

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