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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 3870 ..

MS FOLLETT: Mr Speaker, my question is also to the Minister for Sport, Mr Stefaniak. Mr Stefaniak, in early September of this year, you and the Chief Minister told the people of Canberra that the futsal stadium by the lake would be - and I refer to the Chief Minister's press release - "a temporary outdoor stadium". Mr Stefaniak, could you please explain to the Assembly and to the people of the ACT why that unsightly "temporary" seating is still there; when it will be removed; and who will pay the costs of its removal?

MR STEFANIAK: Firstly, it is an interesting question, Mr Speaker, because I think Ms Follett might be one of the few people who actually think it is unsightly. Yes, it is a temporary stadium, Ms Follett, and it is outdoors. You will notice that after the futsal competition a quite considerable number of things that were put up have, in fact, been taken down; but the seating remains. The seating was used as recently as last week during the Australian Federal Police Games. It is envisaged, I understand, that that seating will be taken away very shortly, because there will be a gap from December through to, I think, some time in January at this stage. Also, the seating will be needed elsewhere around Canberra for such things as the Australian under-19 cricket championships, the Summernats and a major softball championship event, all scheduled for January 1997.

Ms McRae: The Summernats are going to do wheelies on the futsal stadium!

MR STEFANIAK: If you shut up, you might learn something, Ms McRae. I will mention that last event again because of Ms McRae's cackling, Mr Speaker.

Mr Humphries: Hyena-ing.

MR STEFANIAK: Hyena-ing or cackling. It might have drowned out my reference to that very important tournament, for which some seating will be needed.

MR SPEAKER: Order! Play on, Mr Stefaniak.

MR STEFANIAK: Thank you, Mr Speaker. That last event was a major softball championship event. Those events are all scheduled for late December and 1997. So, it will be taken away for that, Ms Follett, and I understand that the next event it will be brought back for will be the Woodies.

MR HIRD: My question is to the Minister for Arts and Heritage, Mr Humphries. Minister, I note that Mr Wood, member for Brindabella, referred in yesterday's Canberra Times to a streamlined grants process under the cultural development funding program, saying that he did not believe that the process was open to consultation. How does this Government's record for funding for the arts and consultation with the arts community compare with that of previous governments?

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