Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 5 Hansard (26 August) . . Page.. 1346 ..

MR WOOD: When people go. If a workshop - - -

Ms Carnell: Why would people go?

MR WOOD: - - - in the School of Art closes, we have lost the inspiration from that workshop. Which one would you close?

Ms Carnell: Fifteen per cent of funding is in admin.

MR WOOD: If we closed down programs within the school and wedged in with the - - -

Ms Carnell: Two hundred thousand is in overseas travel.

MR WOOD: If we do not have - - -

MR SPEAKER: Order! Mr Wood has the floor.

Mr Corbell: I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am loath to interrupt my colleague, but the Chief Minister is persistently interjecting. If it were coming from this side of the house you would call her to order.

MR SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order.

Mr Hird: Mr Speaker, on the point of order: Would you ask the member to address his remarks to the Chair?

MR SPEAKER: I uphold Mr Corbell's point of order. However, I would ask Mr Wood to not provoke by questions.

MR WOOD: We need that continuous flow of people and ideas - the energy, the enthusiasm, the created talent that these people bring to our community. It is widely recognised that we have benefited enormously from the quality of our artistic life. That will suffer great blows if it is cut, if it is reduced. I would hope that in this debate today the Chief Minister can give some indication of where she is going with the negotiations between the institute and the Government. They have struggled. I think they have come up with a list of things. My understanding is that they have quantified the work they do and it is well in excess of $1.6m.

I hope we can have an announcement that will tell us whether the Chief Minister - the Chief Minister is also the arts Minister - cares about the arts in Canberra and will clear up some of this continuing anxiety about the funds. My wish is to return to the funding level of $1.65m that has existed in the last financial year. That is what they deserve. That is the level which subsidises the ACT community. Let us get that back by supporting this motion.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .