Page 3834 - Week 12 - Thursday, 23 November 2006
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Mr Hargreaves: What are you going to do with the tenants? Where are they going to go?
MR PRATT: That is a fair point raised by the minister. If, in the meantime, you put new community services group tenants into that building—
MR SPEAKER: Mr Pratt, do not engage in conversations across the room. Direct your comments through me.
MR PRATT: Through you, Mr Speaker, the opposition says that we will have to alert people that, so long as that building remains in government hands, our intention will be to re-establish the library service in that building. We will have to take care of the other problems beyond that point.
Mr Hargreaves: No solution.
MR PRATT: Problems which will be sheeted home to you, minister. Let us have a look at the scope of the report into this library closure. The services agreement, in a telling sentence, sets out the scope of the report, which is to “assist with the review of library services with the aim of consolidating all ACT government libraries into the mainstream library service and to bring library expenses in line with local government benchmarks”. What the hell does that mean?
Further, the methodology referred to points out, “Provides options for the saving of $2.4 million through both process improvement and revised service delivery.” There we go. It is all spelt out. No consultation is required because they just need the money.
I still do not understand why $2.4 million is worth the pain of total disruption of a total community. It does not make sense. It does not add up. This is why this has to go to a committee. The opposition is calling for the government’s decision to close Griffith library to be sent to a committee for inquiry. We think it is a very poor decision.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for the Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Housing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (11.13): I welcome the opportunity to respond, on behalf of the government, to Mr Pratt’s motion. The government is united in its opposition to this motion.
The decision to close Griffith library on 1 December has obviously hurt and angered the community. I deeply regret that. But no amount of consultation would have prevented people from feeling that way about having their local services reduced. I had great difficulty in reaching the decision to close the library because I know what the community feel about it. Although this city is growing and experiencing boom times, thanks to this government, it still has many attributes of a small town. You do not have to have a lengthy consultation period and appoint subcommittees to find out what the community thinks on a particular issue. The media have no hesitation in reporting community concerns and are only too willing to fill in the gap left by the lack of an effective opposition party in the Assembly.
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