Page 4066 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 13 December 2006
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Visitors
MR SPEAKER: I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of members of the University of the Third Age. Welcome.
Questions without notice
Griffith library
MR SESELJA: I appreciate the esteem in which Mr Hargreaves holds me. Minister, will you be making any assistance of a general nature to disabled and disadvantaged users of the library system in order for them to use the Civic and Woden libraries?
MR HARGREAVES: I thank Mr Seselja for the question. He is a very, very nice bloke. Under the stewardship of Mr Corbell, there were initiatives introduced into ACTION to make sure members of our disabled community can travel on our buses in the same way as the rest of us can if we so choose. The buses that have been bought now go down to the pavement. We are very conscious of people with any kind of disability being able to have access to the bus network.
In respect of the Civic library, it was built with disability access absolutely foremost in our minds. So I am confident that the services for the disability community are no worse and no better than those available to the normal travelling public.
It is also to be noted by the Assembly that the home library lending service and the mobile library service still continue to function. Any people who are housebound because of their disability are very adequately catered for. All they need to do is contact the library and those services will be delivered to their home.
There is no discernible difference, in my view. This is a thinly veiled attack on the government’s decision to close the Griffith library. It is one which was taken in the interests of the global library service across this town. To the people of Griffith I say: “I understand your pain. I respect that. I respect your views. I respect your opportunity to express them in any way you like.” To the general library community across Canberra, I say that I think perhaps some congratulations ought to be due for the way in which we have extended the library service. There has been nearly $20 million worth over the recent past.
I would invite Mr Seselja to come and have a look at the new Civic library and perhaps talk to those people. They can describe to him the Griffith library, which is somewhere that he has not been yet.
Registrar-General and Office of Fair Trading—relocation
DR FOSKEY: My question is to the Attorney-General and it concerns the decision to move the Registrar-General and the Office of Fair Trading to Fyshwick. Could the attorney please advise the Assembly of the client profile of these services and how the move to Fyshwick will assist them with easy and affordable access?
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