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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 05 Hansard (Tuesday, 4 May 2004) . . Page.. 1699 ..

Tuesday, 4 May 2004

MR SPEAKER (Mr Berry) took the chair at 10.30 am, made a formal recognition that the Assembly was meeting on the lands of the traditional owners, and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory.

Petition

The following petition was lodged for presentation, by Mr Cornwell, from 592 residents.

Civic library

TO THE SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

The petition of certain residents of the Australian Capital Territory draws the attention of the Legislative Assembly to adverse factors leading towards and flowing from the proposed removal of Civic Library in East row to a temporary location in ActewAGL House in London Circuit, and suggests alternative strategies:

• Those invited to Focus Group discussions, convened by the ACT Library and Information Service (ACTLIS) management to discuss the transfer, were unrepresentative of library users and flawed by the surveillance of the process by people not involved in the discussion, and by cash payments to the invitees;

• There is an expressed need for the extension in the existing staff toilet to accommodate the public. This could be done with minimum disruption;

• The present, recently refurbished, Civic Library is located in the central CBD, is near a public transport interchange, has busy pedestrian access and is in a well-used and relatively spacious venue;

• ActewAGL House has a less suitable pedestrian and public transport access, needs major architectural changes for library use and is smaller in size than Civic;

• The inconveniences and time losses caused to library staff and users during the proposed transfer are economically and socially unjustifiable; and

Your petitioners therefore request the Assembly to call on the ACT government to:

i. Arrange for the continuation of the lease of the present Civic Library until a permanent, accessible and central library has been built and equipped; ii. Extend existing toilets in Civic to allow public use; iii. Cancel any ActewAGL/ACT government agreements to do with the library transfer; and iv. Ensure the future transparency and openness to all parties of ACTLIS focus group procedures.

The Clerk having announced that the terms of the petition would be recorded in Hansard and a copy referred to the appropriate minister, the petition was received.

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