Page 3736 - Week 12 - Thursday, 22 November 2007
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health. We could do that. These are balancing acts—the decisions, the priority setting that any government does.
Mr Pratt: What did you make Clare Martin do, mate?
MR SPEAKER: Mr Pratt, I warn you. Cease interjecting.
MR STANHOPE: There is a lot of ground to make up as a result of the neglect of the arts over decades. We are attempting to do some small thing to make up some of the gap in support for the arts. It has been a feature of government within the territory for years.
MR PRATT: Mr Speaker, I have a supplementary question. Treasurer, what is the total cost of recently completed work under construction or planned artwork in the ACT, including artwork next to roads such as the GDE?
MR STANHOPE: I do not have those figures with me. To the extent that arts or culture encompasses things such as libraries and the new arts centre at Belconnen, as well as our public arts support for all the infrastructure and the programs of the Cultural Facilities Corporation and the Cultural Council, I do not have a generic or a broad number for all of the arts and cultural activity that the ACT government supports.
But I believe that we are currently responding to a request—it may even be from the Australian Bureau of Statistics; it is a national body that is collecting advice just now. I will take it on notice with the proviso that we are currently doing some work for an external source in relation to expenditure, commitment or support by this government to culture and the arts. When that work is concluded, I will be more than happy to make it available.
It might be some months away. We are doing the work. I am not going to replicate it. When it is concluded I will be more than happy to provide it to you. In doing that, I will provide it with pride. In the context of this government’s commitment to the arts and culture, I will proudly stand by the level of support that we provide, including for public art and public street art—the sort of art that you vandalised when you illegally removed them. That was paid for by the ACT government. I will include the cost of that in the advice I provide Mr Pratt, the art that you illegally vandalised—
Mr Pratt: The police investigation didn’t go too far, did it?
MR STANHOPE: Has that police investigation concluded? I do not have a clue. I will take advice. It is hard to keep up with all the police investigations that are on the way.
Mr Pratt: You failed Jon, you failed.
MR SPEAKER: You are on a warning Mr Pratt.
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