Page 3471 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 14 November 2006
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It is interesting to read the summary of key findings. I would love to know what the brief was. It might be interesting for the minister to table the briefing document that was given to the person who prepared this report because, if you read it, you will see that the ACT library service will be absolutely shattered. First and foremost, let’s go to the first proposition. What will happen to the block of land when the Griffith library is gone? The minister said, “I haven’t made a decision.” What does the report recommend? I quote from page 5:
There is also an additional benefit to the ACT government in the value of the large associated land parcel for sale.
What is the recommendation? Flog it. Why do they have to flog it? It is because of this government’s and this minister’s ineptitude and financial mismanagement. The people of Canberra should not have to pay and I think the people of Canberra will take it up to this government because they understand. To go on, what is also suggested? The report states:
… streamlining of the Heritage Library, the ACT Government and Assembly Library, and Administration, as well as the integration of the library call centre function with Canberra Connect.
That is code for staff reductions. It goes on with some suggestions, and the conclusion is that they will provide significant labour savings, particularly the self-help model. What is that code for? It is code for fewer staff. And it is not going to be a free library service anymore. Page 5 states:
Finally, it is noted that there are opportunities for increased revenue that should be considered by the ACT Library Service. These include charging for Internet services from January 2007 and placing a service fee on reservations from 2008 when the software will be available …
So there is the plan. There is John Hargreaves’s master plan. It is for the total devastation of the public library system.
It is interesting to go back to previous debates and look at Mr Corbell’s words when commenting on the previous government’s task force into the digital divide, of which Mrs Burke was the chair. Talking about what had been done, Mr Corbell said:
These are all commendable steps, but they do not address the substantive issue of getting online access for people in a way that is most convenient for them, so that they do not have to catch a bus or drive a couple of kilometres to use a computer.
It is more than a couple of kilometres from Griffith or Narrabundah to Civic, Belconnen or Kippax libraries, which Mr Hargreaves suggested people could go to because they had put in more screens.
When you go to the recommendations, you find the devastation of the library service listed. Something like 42 staff are listed for axing—delete two professional officers, one professional officer, 3½ ASO2s and one ASO3. You get that just from the closure of the Griffith library. If you go to a two-tier structure, you have a reduction of four
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