Page 4019 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 2010
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One of the other strong things that came through the submissions, and it is unfortunately a sadder theme, is the concern of many residents and artists that Canberra’s music and arts scene is struggling and, to some extent, evaporating. With that, we are losing something that is very important to the city and its vibrancy and vitality. I pointed this out in my original motion last year, the motion which established the inquiry. Live music and events are part of Canberra’s soul, and we need to hang on to that. There are many ways outlined in this report and the original interim report which will help Canberra to do just that.
This leads me to another point I want to emphasise. While the report clearly acknowledges the complexity of the issues that impact on live events, such as noise, planning, licensing, changing leisure patterns, transport and different community expectations, it also makes clear the fact that there are many more things the ACT government can do and needs to do to support live music. The reality is that there is a large degree of onus on the government to help create, support and promote opportunities for live events in Canberra.
One of the key recommendations in the “Other issues” section of the report, at page 59, is:
… the ACT Government could take a variety of measures to support live events venues to stay open in Canberra, and for new venues to open …
It talks about facilitating partnerships between live entertainment operators and private leaseholders, as well as between live acts and the government, to help find venues for artists without prohibitive costs and where there is viable public transport. This may include opening up some non-traditional venues, such as public spaces or school halls. It is clear from my observations as a member of the committee and also as an MLA and a Canberran who is interested in the arts, that we are lacking in space and venues in Canberra. The controversy over McGregor Hall has made this a very visible issue recently.
In acknowledgement of this, the report recommends that the government should develop a policy focused on maintaining government properties that are suitable for live events and community events, as well as considering opportunities for building or converting government property into suitable venues for live events. I hope the government does pick up on this.
I know that the government, and Mr Stanhope in particular, in terms of answering my questions, have said that there are already enough spaces for groups like the Canberra Musicians Club or the Canberra orchestra to perform in. But the reality is that these spaces are not suitable for their needs. What seems to be the situation in Canberra is that we have good infrastructure for high-end events. We have got the Canberra Theatre; we have got various other facilities managed by the cultural facilities corporation. But we are lacking community-level events.
When people graduate from the school of arts and they are good musicians but they are not the sort of musicians who can fill the Canberra Theatre, where do they go to perform? What if they need venues bigger than their own living room or their own
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