Page 703 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 11 February 2009
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I would also acknowledge that live music events are an integral part of maintaining a vibrant city. At the same time proper legal spaces would go a long way to alleviating the illegal bill posting problem. Not too long ago the government removed the bollards from Garema Place and replaced them with public art sculptures. The bollards were located where there is the most frequent foot traffic and effectively operated as the town noticeboard. We are not against public artwork; it is an important medium which enriches our city; but so does live music. There is something a bit ironic in the government removing the venue for free expression in order to put in public artwork.
We believe the government needs to immediately and massively increase the legal posting space. Each local shopping centre should have a large, 24-hour accessible community space, such as a bollard or a prominent and clearly marked wall space. Currently there are less than 40 noticeboards in Canberra, and many of them are small, locked up or poorly placed. There is a lot the government could do to make this happen in both private and public space. At the moment the government says that supermarkets are encouraged to provide noticeboards, but there does not seem to be a lot of encouragement. How does the government encourage it? It does not seem to be succeeding in the encouragement. We would like to see more significant encouragement, and commercial developments in town centres should be required to provide posting bollards or an equivalent space. The government needs to look at changing the planning and development code to ensure that this happens.
Last weekend saw probably the largest event that happens in our city—the multicultural festival. One of its attractions is the opportunity to try beers from all around the world. Many people enjoy this opportunity, and, of course, they should not drive home afterwards. Yet when the festival ends at 11 pm, there are no additional public transport options provided. As far as I understand it, no extra ACTION services ran at all for this year’s multicultural festival, despite the thousands of patrons who were in town for the weekend and will be again next weekend.
The same problem occurs on Melbourne Cup Day in Canberra. Constituents have complained to me about the debacle which occurred on that day last year when thousands of people, many of whom had been drinking, had no way of getting home using public transport. It is a crucial issue for live entertainment, and it is especially an issue for young people who are likely to need access to public transport in evenings and at special events. Unfortunately, Canberra does not have adequate public transport for these areas.
That is one of the many things which reduces Canberra’s entertainment opportunities. Other cities are more proactive when it comes to this. Perth, for example, runs extra trains on days when special events occur. In London, the lord mayor said it was one of the key cultural imperatives to include the provision of better transport services so that people could go out, especially young people, people living on low incomes and people with disabilities. Better transport is vital; it is desperately needed in Canberra to support our community. I appeal to the Assembly to take this opportunity to support Canberra’s living soul.
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