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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5132 ..

MR HARGREAVES (continuing):

This motion calls on the government "not to sign off on any final designs for the building until these accommodation issues have been satisfactorily resolved". If amendments Nos 4 and 5 are agreed to, they will delay this project interminably. Mrs Dunne's amendments propose inserting the words "in and around Civic"immediately after the words "until these accommodation issues". What is meant by the words "in and around Civic"? Is the member referring to community organisations that operate out of Acton or Braddon or those that operate in and around Civic?

Is she referring only to former tenants of the Griffin Centre, or is she referring to the needle exchange program? Is she saying that if the needle exchange program is to be located in the new Griffin Centre her amendments to the motion will ensure that nothing occurs until such time as some agreement has been reached? These amendments are too vague and I do not really understand or accept them.

Amendments Nos 4 and 5 will do nothing other than delay the completion of the building and prevent people who are already affected from delivering their services. I oppose the motion and I oppose the amendments that were moved by Mrs Dunne.

Question put:

That the amendments be agreed to.

The Assembly voted-

Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Amendments agreed to.

MS TUCKER (5.22): I would like to respond to a number of the issues that were raised by members who participated in debate on this motion. I appreciate the strong commitment that was made earlier by Mr Wood, but neither he nor Mr Corbell addressed the main issues that I raised today and they failed in their attempt to establish that this motion was not necessary. If we continue with this project without acknowledging the needs of different groups the final design of the building will be a failure and we will have to live with that design for a long time. This is our last opportunity to stop and think about what we are doing.

Mr Wood said earlier that he would ensure that current tenants were accommodated. He said in debate that key funded organisations would remain in the building. I do not know whether the soup kitchen fits into that category as I do not think it receives any government funding. For years I battled to obtain accommodation for the soup kitchen in the Griffin Centre. I then battled to obtain a dishwasher. I eventually obtained a dishwasher from the clubs. I might be wrong, but I do not think the government gives

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