Page 2686 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 26 September 2007
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Mr Hargreaves: No, but I’m not going to do your work for you. You go and do it yourself.
MR SPEAKER: Order!
Yarramundi Reach—ATSI cultural centre
DR FOSKEY: My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs and is in regard to Yarramundi Reach—the ATSI cultural centre. Minister, the centre is reportedly to be closed as of this Friday to undergo refurbishment. Could you please advise the Assembly how long the centre is expected to be closed and who will be responsible for the cost and management of the refurbishment?
MR STANHOPE: Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I thank Dr Foskey for her question. It certainly is the case that Yarramundi Reach is about to receive a long awaited and much needed refurbishment. There are some quite significant issues that Yarramundi has faced since the outset since it was established as an indigenous cultural centre for the ACT.
As members know, and I say this by way of preface, the Yarramundi Reach cultural centre is managed by the indigenous people through a democratic process. It is an organisation that is elected or has been elected by the broader community through an indigenous organisation, the Burringiri Association Inc, to manage the centre, and that indeed has been the governance arrangement in place since 2003.
The facility is managed in a partnership between Burringiri and the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services and after the period of refurbishment they will develop and manage a quite dynamic cultural program. At the moment it is envisaged that the overall funding, which, of course, is budget driven through the ACT government, will be an amount of $132,000 a year, which will be split evenly with $70,000 to Burringiri for cultural programs and $62,000 of the $132,000 annual or recurrent funding to be managed by DHCS in its management role for the centre.
As I indicated and as I think we are all aware, the building at Yarramundi has not had adequate maintenance for a number of years and, in fact, is unfortunately in need of quite significant work. The Paul Barnett Design Group was engaged by the Chief Minister’s Department through Procurement Solutions in 2005 to design the refurbishment of the centre. Throughout 2005 and 2006 the scope of the work was developed, in consultation with Burringiri. DHCS undertook a review of the scope of works and, as a result of that and in consultation with the management, the work has been split into two stages.
The first work to be undertaken focuses on building services and dealing with occupational health and safety issues. The second stage of the refurbishment will provide support for the cultural programs and revenue generating activities after these have been finalised and bedded down within the management arrangements. The preferred tenderer for the refurbishment is Cobul Constructions. It has been engaged to carry out the work at the centre.
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