Page 3831 - Week 12 - Thursday, 23 November 2006
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I rise today on behalf of a significant number of Canberrans who are outraged at the now-decided plan to close the Griffith library on 1 December 2006. The purpose of this motion is to present the case as to why it would be premature to close the library and why this matter and the government decision surrounding the announcement on Saturday must be referred to a committee for inquiry. For example, we must be concerned about the lack of consultation. And we must be concerned about the lack of true inquiry in the lead-up to the announcement of the closure of the Griffith library.
To underline this concern, which is the basis of the opposition’s call here today to refer this matter to the committee, I draw the attention of this place to the petition tabled last week containing over 2,500 signatures of constituents, mainly from the inner south but also from all over Canberra, who are vehemently opposed to the closure of this valuable asset to the community. To further underline this concern, I also draw your attention to the fact that there is another group of petitions, with 800 further signatures, being tabled.
The petitions call upon the Assembly to delay the proposed closure of Griffith library to allow consultation and liaison with government agencies, service providers and peak community and industry groups in a meaningful way. That makes the number of petitioners concerned about this library closure now in the region of 3,500. Surely this is a demonstration of concern. It adds to the justification that the decision to close on 1 December should be delayed. It underlines the gravity and the need for the government’s decision to be taken to the committee for further inquiry.
Whilst we are presenting this case again, I would like to again acknowledge the hard work of the library users, the Griffith/Narrabundah Community Association and the Save our Griffith Library group, who have rallied support to try and retain the Griffith library. They have campaigned hard. Their efforts should be acknowledged. The efforts of the community, who have worked very hard to try and keep this library open, must be acknowledged. They have worked hard; they have campaigned hard; and the opposition acknowledges their efforts.
I would also like to acknowledge the work done by Jacqui Burke, MLA, the member for Molonglo, who has been working for some time on this particular project. She has communicated with the Griffith community. She has had a number of meetings with the Griffith community. With laryngitis, et cetera, she was at that rally on Saturday and I had to speak on her behalf. Jacqui Burke has championed this campaign by this community quite actively.
The justification for sending this government decision to a committee is based on the fact that we believe the government’s decision to close this library is a sham. You have to question whether the value in dollar terms and the supposed savings justifies the government’s decision.
We believe that that decision, in dollar terms alone and on the other factors that we are now beginning to see in the report, is a sham. The report, of course, was not readily available in any good time before the decision to close the library. The dollar value is absolutely low. For a few dollars saved, we are putting the community at great pain.
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