Page 1958 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 June 2015
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MR BARR: Rates are not going up at 10 per cent a year.
Arts—venues
MR WALL: My question is to the Chief Minister, regarding the Westside pop-up village. This project has been plagued with problems, including delays in construction and suppliers and subcontractors not being paid on time. Malcolm Snow, the head of the NCA, recently described the project as “a damp squib”. Why has the Westside pop-up village become a damp squib?
MR BARR: It has not.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Wall.
MR WALL: Chief Minister, have all suppliers and subcontractors from the Westside pop-up village been paid what they were owed, and what was the reason for the bills that were not paid on time?
MR BARR: That is a matter for Stromlo Stomping Ground, who have the licence to operate the facility. But my understanding—and this is through the media—is that all subcontractors have been paid bar one, and there is a contract dispute over quality of work in relation to that one outstanding matter.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Doszpot.
MR DOSZPOT: Chief Minister, what contribution has the delay in opening the pop-up village made to the failure of this project?
MR BARR: None whatsoever. The project is not a failure. It is a success. It has just been written up in the Australian newspaper very positively—I certainly draw members’ attention to that very good write-up—and, of course, very pleasingly in the food and wine section of today’s Canberra Times.
I understand that there are some critics. There are some people for whom this concept of doing something a little different in this city is—
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Order, Mr Coe!
MR BARR: It was an article on street food. It was an article on the growth of the street food vendor industry in the city. The central point here is that this pop-up village is innovative. Small business is supporting it—
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
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