Page 3950 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 25 November 2014
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support, given that it is a facility that should be run for the benefit of the community. Perhaps it is better that EPIC is run as a community facility supported by government, recognising that very high level of in-kind support and how integral it is to myriad organisations across this city. When we think about the events that take place at Exhibition Park, the one that springs to mind is the Lifeline book fair, which of course is a beneficiary of some of that in-kind support.
There are, in my view, benefits of bringing EPIC back into government. There are the opportunities of integrating with similar facilities such as GIO Stadium, Manuka Oval and Stromlo Forest Park. I note the comments that I made in 2009, which Mr Smyth helpfully quoted to the Assembly, which, again, he was always going to do. I will simply say that I have looked at the way those venues are operating and I do see synergies there and I do see potential. I have simply changed my mind on that.
What this means is that there will be an ability to maximise the expertise across these organisations in terms of things like event planning, sales and marketing, venue management, contract management, asset management and security and insurance. These are all common day-to-day issues that need to be dealt with in all of these venues. There clearly is a level of commonality for which there is benefit both in terms of efficiency and knowledge sharing. The government will be able to maximise efficiencies around streamlining supplies and services, contracts, utilisation of resources and equipment shared, integrated policies and procedures and also revenue opportunities when trying to attract events to the territory.
The EPIC board is supportive of integration occurring now. That too is a shift from five years ago when there were mixed views on the board about the reintegration into government. In summary, I simply say that there are too many reasons why EPIC should now be brought into government, and it would be churlish of me to disagree that there are demonstrated efficiencies for the government and EPIC simply because I had a different view five years ago.
I assure Mr Smyth that I could have disagreed. The possibility certainly exists in the parliamentary agreement, but I have sought to take an approach of actually weighing this issue on its merits and, as I said, having a willingness to change my mind when the evidence suggests that there may be a better way to go forward. More importantly, I am now convinced that having a board and a separate governance arrangement does not improve the benefits that the facility can provide to the community, and that is the most important thing. The benefits to the community may well be greater if EPIC is integrated with other government venues.
At the end of the day, my position in 2009 was about getting the best outcome for the community in terms of the facilities that are available at Exhibition Park. That remains my position in 2014—that we are looking for the way to get the best benefit for the community out of this important community resource that so many Canberrans value and visit each year. On that basis I will be supporting the bill on behalf of the Greens, and I am happy to vote for it today.
MR BARR (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Housing and Minister for Tourism and Events) (11.16), in
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