Page 3848 - Week 12 - Thursday, 23 November 2006
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community input has been consistent. It has been consistent as far back, Mr Speaker, as 2001. The consistency of that feedback from the immediate community of Griffith-Narrabundah has been “do not close our library”. Quite reasonably, that has come from the people who use it. I have no objection to that. I do not disrespect that at all. There has been constant feedback: do not close the library. So we know that.
We commissioned this academic work from Dr Lunn and she affirmed the view that we had entertained, that we should have a robust library system which has actually got in it contemporary material. The materials that we have in the library at the moment are something like an average age of five years. We should not have materials anywhere near that age in our library service. We need to bring them into the electronic age. We need to make sure that the balance between print and non-print materials is the correct one for the demands and the needs of the users of today.
We need to examine the joint use library system to see whether it is working. We need to examine a whole range of things like the electronic self-help system, the RFID, and then we need to resource that across the system. We need actually to house the various specific collections that we have. The report talks about the heritage library and the Assembly library, but it also could include all of the specific language collections that we have. Those who visit Dickson library would know that a Chinese collection is up there. In fact, the Italian library collection which is at Griffith will go to Woden. So we needed to consider how we could actually bring all those together and make sure that we have an enhanced system.
I am being condemned, as I understand it, for taking a process that was started in its destructive nature by the Liberals, and then progressing it through, putting it into the restructure process of waste reduction that those opposite have been telling us to do for a stack of years now—
Mr Pratt: We have never said waste front-line services.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Pratt: We have never said waste—
MR SPEAKER: Order, Mr Pratt!
MR HARGREAVES: I did not say that either. You misheard me.
Mr Pratt: That is what you are talking about.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
MR HARGREAVES: As usual, you mishear me. I said waste reductions. We have done that process but I am being condemned for that. I am also being condemned for having the theories tested academically and I am being condemned for the amount of consultation that has not gone on. The consultation has gone on since those opposite tried to close the library in 2001 or 2000—I have forgotten exactly when. I have responded to all of the emails to me. I have met with the groups themselves, I have
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