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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 12 Hansard (5 December) . . Page.. 3601 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

This provision demonstrates that the authors of this legislation are not in touch with their own community. I trust and hope that we have the numbers in place to at least defeat that provision. Otherwise there will be process of larger clubs consuming smaller clubs or social clubs taking over from sporting, ethnic or cultural clubs and their constitutions going out the window.

It is also clear to me from reading this legislation that those on the other side of this house are not really in touch with the role that clubs play within the community. Clubs tend to be recreational outlets for most of the people in Canberra. The people of Canberra who do not earn the salaries that are paid to people inside this place are able, because of the existence of a club industry, to go to a well - managed, non - threatening facility and environment and enjoy some recreation.

These places can be compared with the current image of most of the nights spots in Canberra, and I would say that the only well - managed, non - threatening night spots you can go to in Canberra are prohibitively expensive. I have had a direct association with a place called the Charnwood Inn. That notorious blood house is now the Ginninderra Labor Club. Members on the government side should go out and ask the people of Charnwood, the West Belconnen citizens and the people who run businesses in the Charnwood shopping centre what difference the club industry has made to them and their environment. Yet, you lot demonise the club industry for your own grubby political purposes.

I would like to refer next to the community facilities that the club industry provides. (Extension of time granted.) I refer to such community facilities as Ainslie Oval, which I think was the venue for the last interstate women's soccer competition. Wanniassa Oval, which is now Viking Park, is a great sporting facility which was paid for out of club industry money. Another is the Tuggeranong Basketball Centre which, given the right moment on the right nights during the right competition would be populated by politicians seeking photo opportunities.

I think it is clear that in the ACT the club industry and the community are even more interwoven than they are in New South Wales. We accept that the club industry ought to pay a reasonable proportion of money towards community welfare and the advancement of the community. But clubs that provide and support middle - level and junior sport in the ACT should not have to suffer the indignity that they have suffered as a result of the distorted publicity that has been directed at them in recent times.

I have a couple of letters with me which were written by Tennis ACT and sent to the Gambling and Racing Commission. Tennis ACT gives zero to category one charities but it promotes tennis in schools and it promotes tennis for the disabled. In fact, it does such a good job that the government gives it extra money to do that. So we have this crazy contradiction that Tennis ACT is listed in the report as not pulling its weight in terms of community contributions when in fact it has become an arm of government in taking a role in promoting healthy sport for both young people within schools and the disabled.

This does not just apply to tennis. Virtually all the rugby clubs promote junior football. Rugby clubs like Royals promote many of the associated sports such as softball that do not have other sources of income.

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