Page 4023 - Week 09 - Thursday, 26 August 2010
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I think it is important that we work on the basis that we do actually support live events here in Canberra, that we do actually support the music industry, that we do actually support the entertainment industry and all the other things that make Canberra such a great place to live in.
With regard to festivals and large events, I think it is great that we do have these. We have got quite an eclectic mix in Canberra, and I think Canberra does extremely well when it comes to these prominent national events that we host here in the capital. Whether it be events like Summernats or Stonefest or the Folk Festival, Foreshore, Corinbank or others, we have a pretty proud record when it comes to hosting good events here in the territory. I hope this government and all future governments do actually harness this.
I am by no means saying we should be neglecting the concerns of residents or other stakeholders, but I am sure there is a happy balance, a happy medium, that we can get to with regard to fostering these kinds of events in Canberra, whilst keeping residents and others happy as well.
I will speak to just a few more recommendations, as the report is, of course, comprehensive. To that end, I thank Nicola Kosseck for the work she did. I think it is a superb report and does actually include some rather complex subject matter, especially with regard to some of the music measurements and the like. I think she has done extremely well in compiling this report.
Recommendation 6 states:
The Committee recommends that the dB(A) noise standards be amended to more realistically reflect the ambient and background noise levels in the City and Town Centres as indicated by the monitoring process recommended above.
I think that is extremely important. At the moment, I do not think the current noise standards necessarily capture the true noise which does emanate from the city centres, and I think it is important that all Canberrans do actually come to the realisation that, when you move into the city and when you move into a town centre, it is not like living in a suburb. You are not going to have the exact same amenity that you have in the suburbs.
It is a different amenity. It may be a better amenity or it may be a worse amenity, but the fact is it is different, and I think it is important that Canberrans do come to terms with that. Living in apartments and living in units is a relatively new thing here in Canberra and, indeed, across Australia. To that end, I think it may well still be a little while away yet where we actually do have generations of people that do have expectations of what living in a modern city or a modern town centre is all about.
That said, I by no means discount the very legitimate and genuine concerns of some people that raised their issues with us in the inquiry, and I hope that the EPA and other government agencies do take on all those concerns and do assess them on face value and do assess them with due diligence.
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