Page 3587 - Week 08 - Friday, 24 August 2012
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the commonwealth and other jurisdictions and we will be a launch site for that in 2013. I am working very closely with the sector to prepare for that.
Allied to this are further examples of direct support we are providing to the sector; namely, two grants of $25,000 each to the ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service, ADACAS, and Advocacy for Inclusion for projects that will build the capacity of people with disability to ensure their voice is heard.
We have also improved the links between Therapy ACT and other organisations. Chief among those is the close relationship with the Education and Training Directorate and the Catholic Education Office in implementing the pilot phase of the therapy assistant program across five public schools and one Catholic school. This has now been funded for the next two years.
I am pleased to see that $2 million has been allocated for a capital upgrade of the Tuggeranong Arts Centre and for a feasibility study and forward design of the Belconnen Arts Centre. We will also see funding of $3.2 million in this budget over two years to extend the capacity of the Street Theatre as a performing arts hub.
I will go back to some of the other comments from Mrs Dunne. She stood here for nearly 15 minutes and did not have much of a kind word to say about anybody or anything, particularly the Community Services Directorate. The Public Advocate is on record as acknowledging the positive changes across care and protection services and out of home care services. The Commissioner for Children and Young People has recognised the positive work across youth justice. The childcare sector itself has accepted and is welcoming the national quality framework. It seems the only one who does not want quality care for our children is Mrs Dunne. As I have said, there has been a growth of over 500 places in the last 12 months or so, with more online. We have sold blocks of land to the private sector. We have facilitated growth in this area not only within government facilities but also in private facilities.
Mrs Dunne says that we should have sold this block of land. In the ACT close to 80 per cent of long-day services are community organisations. A good lot of them, about 30 or so of those, are within government buildings. Is she suggesting that we sell those buildings or ask them to pay commercial rent for that? It is an interesting policy dilemma that Mrs Dunne finds herself in. Again I will await with interest her children’s services policies to see how she will support the sector in training the workforce, retaining the workforce and making sure that we have the bricks and mortar to support Canberra families.
She also raised the arts. If there is anyone who has perpetuated the division in the arts community here it is Mrs Dunne. With respect to her public statements that have been reported to me—because I was not at the forum—by a number of people who were present, she talked about a key arts organisation in the manner of Megalo being the elephant in the room and that we need to rough them up and send them on their way. That is simply appalling.
In the few minutes left before we break for lunch, I would like to make a comment about the Community Services Directorate. I often refer to CSD as the agency that is
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