Page 1436 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 6 June 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
was prepared to wait until August before bringing on this debate. I do not know where that leaves us, but there are parts of both motions that the government cannot agree to, and I will in due course propose an amendment.
What is certain is that we all want the same outcome: to ensure that the cultural and heritage values of the Albert Hall are recognised and preserved. In fact, the government only recently received the final version of the conservation management and landscape plan for the Albert Hall precinct. The plan is currently on the Environment ACT website, for those people who insist on having things tabled. The plan will inform a number of processes, not least of which is the current request for tender. The plan is referred to in the RFT and the successful tenderer will need to embrace it.
The plan has been endorsed by the ACT Heritage Council and will support the application for national listing, and the plan finds that the precinct and its landscape are of considerable cultural significance, but that the buildings and the landscape are currently in poor condition and the current ad hoc uses of the place are not appropriate to its status. I note for the record that it was the Carnell government that put it out to private management in the first place. Obviously, something needs to be done, but what?
As was noted by Dr Coltheart during her speech at the public meeting at the Albert Hall, the hall has played many valuable community roles over its 80-year history, including being the equivalent of a town hall, a meeting venue for community groups, a dance hall and a hall for annual shows and events. Many Canberrans in the 1960s and 1970s attended rock performances at the Albert Hall because it was the only venue able to take them. Likewise, it was utilised for all sorts of events, such as orchestral concerts, flower shows, eisteddfods, gang shows, government meetings and land auctions.
However, not only do people’s entertainment wants and needs change over time, but so do cities and their facilities. In the 1920s the Albert Hall was the only venue of its type and other community facilities were rare. By the middle of the last century, Canberra was growing rapidly and new community facilities were being built across the city. Furthermore, by then Canberra was starting to see the emergence of large licensed clubs that were making space available to community groups as part of their community access charters.
By the end of the 20th century, the two major universities and large licensed clubs such as the Southern Cross Club and the Tuggeranong Vikings Club had effectively replaced the Albert Hall as venues for concerts, meetings and other large community events. The result has been that while the Albert Hall once enjoyed capacity booking rates, with myriad community and commercial uses, there are more venues as competitors for the hall.
Last year—you ought to take note of these numbers, Mr Pratt—the Albert Hall was only used for 115 days. Of those, 25 days were utilised by community groups and 90 by commercial renters. A search of the current manager's financial records has shown that there has been a gradual decline in usage of the hall since 1997, when the Liberals had stewardship of that particular facility.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .