Page 5472 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
I do not think that is an appropriate way for festival funding to be allocated. I think it is appropriate that the applications are assessed by an independent committee. And you can imagine the howls of outrage if I had sought to intervene in an independent process and allocate money to one event over another. If as an Assembly we want that level of political control over these sorts of event funds, let us say that in a motion. If Mr Hanson wanted to move a motion that the minister of the day would be responsible for the allocation of all event funding and that that would be a political decision of the minister of the day, let him move such a motion. But instead, what we get is this really snide, underhand attack on the integrity of those who independently assess these applications, that somehow they have a bias against Weston Creek because they happened to recommend funding for 13 other festivals and events. So I do not think that is a fair position to take.
I think it is worth noting, and I go to point 4 in my amendment, that all unsuccessful applicants are offered feedback sessions on the strengths and weaknesses of their applications. This is obviously to enable them to provide better applications in future funding rounds.
The 2012 ACT festival fund has $220,000 in available funding, and I believe that is about a 10 per cent increase on funding that has been available in previous years. The fund was $200,000 before. It has been increased to $220,000. There were 31 applicants for this funding. Thirteen shared in just over $200,000 and there were 17 unsuccessful applicants and one, presumably, that received a partial funding amount. That therefore means that there is just short of $20,000 still remaining within the fund.
I have indicated that there will be a second application round for that remaining amount, which I believe is just over $18,000. This second round will be open to all previously unsuccessful applicants and new applicants. So there will be an opportunity for the Weston Creek festival, together with a number of the other unsuccessful applicants, to have a debrief session with the independent panel and, with the directorate, seek to address the areas within their applications that obviously did not see them achieve the support of the independent panel in making a recommendation for funding. So there will be that opportunity. There will be the engagement that Mr Hanson has stressed.
Again, I presume—and he will have the opportunity to clarify this—that he is not wanting me to personally intervene and guarantee funding for one event over another. I will be interested in Ms Le Couteur’s views on that as well, whether she thinks it would be appropriate for the minister to intervene. No. She is shaking her head. I think we might be reaching a consensus that we do not want political intervention in the assessment process. Is that right, Mr Hanson? Or do you think the minister of the day should choose who gets the money? I am posing you a question and I look forward to you expressing a view on it later in this debate.
Mr Doszpot: On a point of order, Mr Speaker, if—
MR SPEAKER: I am not sure that you need to now. Please continue, Mr Barr.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video