Page 3193 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 2013
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So let us be very clear: the evidence that came from that committee inquiry and that we all agreed on was that Megalo should go in a purpose-built facility at the Kingston arts precinct. I hope they will get a good facility there because there is a lot of money appropriated for that. Fitters Workshop will be left as the great heritage building it is for multi-purpose use, but particularly for music.
Mrs Dunne was an advocate of that; Mrs Dunne was strong in her argument. She advocated that position, and it is now the government’s position. So the government has adopted Mrs Dunne’s policy. So as much as Joy Burch might like to come in here and spread fear and smear and ridicule with her nasty little jibes, let the truth be on the record—as she smears Mrs Dunne in her absence—Joy Burch adopted Mrs Dunne’s policy when it came to Megalo. And that must sting.
Proposed expenditure agreed to.
Proposed expenditure—Part 1.22—Exhibition Park Corporation—$425,000 (net cost of outputs) and $1,159,000 (capital injection), totalling $1,584,000.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Minister for Tourism and Events and Minister for Community Services) (8.41): Exhibition Park is a leading event draw card in the territory and, indeed, for the surrounding region. It is one of our most popular venues. It hosts a wide variety of activities that are popular with locals and tourists alike, ranging from the farmers market to Summernats to the folk festival to the Canberra Show. A series of very popular events occur at Exhibition Park every year.
I am very pleased the 2013-14 budget delivers $420,000 in capital funding for the construction of a new camping area and for an upgrade to improve the accessibility of the existing car park. Additionally, $539,000 has been allocated for a variety of capital upgrade projects throughout Exhibition Park to further improve amenity. These works will significantly upgrade existing facilities and help Exhibition Park to attract more events and exhibitions.
The new camping site and the upgrade to the northern car park will allow for greater accessibility to the facility and help EPIC continue its role as a significant Canberra institution. I am very pleased to commend this appropriation to the Assembly.
MR SMYTH (Brindabella) (8.43): I join the minister in his praise of EPIC. I get emails from a group called the EEAA—the Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia—and on 29 July one of their newsletters announced that Canberra’s largest conference centre unveils completed refurbishment. I thought, “Canberra’s largest conference centre? I wonder where that could be?” I thought that was the National Convention Centre, but apparently it is not. Imagine my surprise when I clicked onto the story and it was not the National Convention Centre at all; it was EPIC, which is now billing itself as the largest. The gist of the story is that Minister Andrew Barr was going to EPIC to open what they are now branding as the largest
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