Page 1163 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 30 May 2007
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ACT is that because there are no marginal seats in this jurisdiction we tend not to attract that sort of federal government subsidy that does seem to apply to other universities.
We need to acknowledge the important role that universities and university student associations and unions have in promoting live music. That then provides a pathway, as previous speakers have indicated, for what is a very strong music education program in the territory. In our colleges, high schools and the Canberra Institute of Technology we have some outstanding facilities, but what we are lacking now is the pathway through to greater success and greater development for those bands. So I thank Mr Gentleman for bringing this issue to the Assembly today. I can certainly assure him and the Assembly that through the planning and education portfolios this is an issue that the government takes very seriously and I will be continuing to pursue avenues for the promotion of live music in the territory.
I welcome the fact that the opposition, even though begrudgingly, are going to lend support to Mr Gentleman’s motion today. I noticed that Mr Mulcahy could not bring himself to say “support”; he just said that he would not oppose it. So thank you, Mr Mulcahy, for your grand contribution to the arts scene in the territory. I know that as shadow minister you take a keen interest in these areas and I look forward to seeing you at many live music venues in the territory in the future.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella) (11.16), in reply: I would like to thank members for their contributions and for their support of this motion, and I will close the debate with a couple of comments.
Firstly, I would like to thank Dr Foskey for her informative and constructive contribution on this motion and I note her comments that the arts scene does lead to economic growth. I thank Minister Barr for his insight into live music venues at the ANU in Canberra. I, too, attended quite a few of those events that occurred at ANU and they were most enjoyable.
Mr Barr: And the University of Canberra.
MR GENTLEMAN: That is right.
I think I should make a couple of comments about Mr Mulcahy’s contribution, firstly to address his suggestion that my motion, which says that live music should be accorded a recognised cultural value, is a bit fluffy and that instead it should perhaps say something along the lines that we all know that we have a good time listening to music. But I hardly think that that brings the respect and authority to this Assembly that my motion does. But, if we were to use Mr Mulcahy’s premise, perhaps we could do so to his motion to be debated later, paragraph 2 of which states that the Assembly “joins with the Chief Minister in welcoming the Howard government budget”. We could probably replace that with—
MR SPEAKER: Relevance—and you are anticipating debate.
MR GENTLEMAN: We could probably say we would give John a pat on the back, or where Mr Mulcahy says “commends the Australian government on its commitment
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