Page 3151 - Week 07 - Thursday, 30 June 2011
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There is also an additional $166,000 over four years to expand the work experience and support program, which provides work experience placements within the ACT public service for migrants helping those to obtain valuable job skills. There has been nearly a hundred go through that program and a very high success rate. It is a very good program.
It also includes extra funding of $100,000 per year for the next two years for the National Multicultural Festival. Mr Speaker, last year’s festival has been declared the biggest ever, with the AFP still saying that 240,000 people attended during the weekend. This new money will see it go from strength to strength.
In the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, there is $240,000 over four years for the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, through new grants programs and programs that will benefit up to 20 future leaders. That is part of our commitment to invest in the capacity building of our Indigenous community. The budget also funds two cultural camps for families to discuss issues of local importance and a grants program to support local Indigenous Canberrans to showcase Indigenous culture at the cultural centre.
On arts, this budget sees the government continuing to fund the growth of arts in Canberra. Much of the investment has been guided by the review of arts by Peter Loxton. For example, we have allocated $100,000 for a scoping study to examine how best to create three new arts hubs based at the Kingston arts precinct, the Street Theatre and Ainslie Arts Centre.
In conjunction with the scoping study, the government has allocated $3.2 million to extend the capacity of the Street Theatre to function as a hub for performing arts. As been noted here, there is $3.9 million to refurbish the Fitters Workshop for Megalo studio and gallery. There has been some level of interest in this move over the last few weeks. This decision was made back in 2009, with an allocation for design. So it should have been no secret to people that this was our intention. It has also been brought to my attention this week that emails were sent to Mrs Dunne back in 2009, where she promised to get back to him. He is still waiting for that, Mr Speaker. The budget includes $200,000 for designs to upgrade Tuggeranong Arts Centre and $500,000 over two years to complete improvements at Strathnairn.
The Community Services Directorate does have a challenging 12 months ahead, but it is committed to providing a range of supports to all Canberrans, including Canberra women. There are no specific items in this budget for ageing, but it is because we approached that through a whole-of-government approach, Mr Speaker. I will stop before my voice completely gives in.
Amendment agreed to.
MR ASSISTANT SPEAKER (Mr Hargreaves): The question now is that the proposed expenditure of $216,197,000 as net cost of outputs, $227,671,000 as capital injection and $39,893,000 as payments on behalf of the territory, totalling $283,761,000 be agreed to.
Proposed expenditure, as amended, agreed to.
Proposed expenditure—Part 1.16—Housing ACT—$43,186,000 (net cost of outputs) and $24,165,000 (capital injection), totalling $67,351,000.
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