Page 256 - Week 01 - Thursday, 12 February 2015
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I would like to ask the government to provide an update on progress of implementation of the Assembly committee’s report recommendations. That is why I have brought the matter forward for discussion today—to both have an opportunity to provide that update and to reinvigorate efforts to make progress in this space.
On a very positive note, a number of the recommendations have been followed through and progress has been made by government. In particular, good progress is being made on developing the Ainslie Arts Centre as a music hub—something that Minister Burch has taken on in her capacity as Minister for the Arts. I think that is a positive development.
Certainly, as the Minister for TAMS, I have been pleased to oversee the Nightrider service, which, for example, operates in the weeks leading up to Christmas and the new year. In the last year it saw an increase in usage of around 21 per cent from the previous year. I was very pleased about that. I think it reflected both an increasing awareness of the service and a strong effort by the TAMS team to actively promote the service and engage with the community on how the service would operate.
Indeed, I would like to note that, with the Multicultural Festival taking place this Saturday night, the Nightrider service will be operating. If members are inclined to let their constituents know about it or put it on social media, it provides people who want to come into the city and perhaps experience some of the international beers and the like a safe way to get home without the risk of drink-driving.
Other recommendations that have been followed through from the inquiry include bollards being provided in key locations around the city and in shopping centres for the promotion of events via bill posters. The EPA is undertaking a noise study and looking at issues in group and town centres. I certainly look forward to the outcomes of that work, and how it will be used to engage stakeholders and inform government policy development.
Again in my capacity as the Minister for TAMS I held an events roundtable with events organisers. That covered sporting issues and various entertainment events and looked at areas where TAMS could assist in the areas it regulates. I note also that the Chief Minister has launched Access Canberra, which is working on red tape reduction and looking to make it easier for businesses, event organisers and community organisations to do these sorts of things in Canberra. I very much welcome the Chief Minister’s initiative in this space to make it easier for people to do business with government and therefore make it easier for these sorts of events that we all enjoy to take place.
There are, of course, other areas—and these are some of the things I have touched on in my motion—where further work is needed, where the committee made findings and recommendations and where I think there is still progress to be made. Certainly, noise complaints have impacted on many live music venues in Canberra over a number of years and that is potentially set to get worse as we see more residential development taking place in some of these busy, night-life oriented areas. The tensions that can
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