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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 4601 ..

MR WHITECROSS (continuing):

and that cutting opening hours is therefore nothing more than your Government's continuing ideological commitment to cutting funding to the Library Service? Furthermore, do you agree that 800 self-selected respondents out of 133,000 library users - that is 0.6 per cent of library users - to a bogus survey is not likely to give a true reflection of what ACT library users really want?

MR DE DOMENICO: I thank the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Whitecross, for his question. Can I say, first of all, that I disagree with all his assumptions. That is point No. 1, in answer to his assumptions.

Mr Whitecross: Facts.

MR DE DOMENICO: No. I am glad Mr Whitecross interjects. First of all, Mr Whitecross suggests that a survey of 800 people is a bogus survey, I think, or a bodgie survey, without realising that it is a quite healthy survey. Yes, the Government will reduce the hours that libraries are open currently because the survey did suggest that people prefer to use libraries on Saturdays and Sundays, for example, rather than in the morning during the week. Most people who work do not have an ability to use libraries between nine and five. So that is commonsense.

Yes, we did spend less money on books than we did last year, but we spent more money on high-tech than we did last year as well. No, the Government has no intention of closing down any libraries; but yes, we will change things from time to time, in line with what the community wishes us to do. The fact that the Opposition does not like that is tough. Within our existing resources, we need to find a way to improve both the use of information technology and the quality of the library collections, as well as review opening hours to better suit the needs of the public. We will do that notwithstanding what the Opposition might think from time to time.

MR WHITECROSS: I ask a supplementary question, Minister. Did you and your department receive any professional advice on the construction of this so-called survey in order to ensure that you genuinely found out the wishes of library users? Do you concede that this survey, which consisted of two leading questions, was only a cynical exercise in railroading library users - the small number who bothered even to reply to your survey - into agreeing with cuts that your department had already predetermined?

MR SPEAKER: That is hypothetical. Also, do not answer with the expression of opinion that is being sought.

MR WHITECROSS: On a point of order, Mr Speaker: How is a question about whether the Government received professional advice a hypothetical question?

MR SPEAKER: Go on with the rest of it.

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