Page 537 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 15 February 2017
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popularity, which ones not so much and where the pressures were both geographically and in terms of particular types of activities, particular age groups and the like.
Again, as Ms Berry has noted in her amendment, the government moved to get some fairly quick wins in terms of getting additional spaces. The first one of those at Deakin High School, a gymnasium, was a great example. Not much more than about $3,000 was spent in terms of reconfiguring the security system. That facility was able to be made available to the Woden Dodgers basketball club for training for a very small amount of money and quite quickly. As the minister has outlined in her amendment, work is now taking place at other school facilities—Lyneham high, Lake Tuggeranong College and Wanniassa high—to open them up.
That is a great win. It sees facilities, often of a very good standard, made available very quickly. Another upside is that it positions schools as a central hub in our communities. It means more people are around at night, there is better security and people feel a stronger connection to their schools, and all of those things are quite positive. I am also very pleased to see in the minister’s amendment the progress being made to restore the gymnasium at the Hedley Beare centre in Stirling. This is particularly valuable because it is right in the heart of Weston Creek. That area has the indoor cricket centre, but I cannot think of any other indoor spaces. It would be great to see that facility being reopened and providing additional capacity for indoor sports.
The minister has noted the work that has gone into further investigating options for providing other indoor sporting spaces in the ACT. Again, government needs to be mindful of its role here. I have also been aware of people who want to privately develop indoor facilities because they believe they are a commercial proposition, and we need to be aware of that.
As you might take from my comments, on behalf of the Greens I am going to support Minister Berry’s amendment. I believe it makes the case as to what the actual situation is.
Mr Wall: Surprise.
MR RATTENBURY: Mr Wall makes his interjections across the chamber. I am interested in what he thinks the answer is for mpowerdome. He has not actually spelt that out. I would be interested in how much he thinks the government should put in. The Liberal Party indicated a sum during the election campaign. My own experience of the debate is I am not sure that would have done the job. I am open to hearing how much they want to tip in for this exercise and what exactly the right way is. Should the government give over exactly the amount the owner thinks they should be paid, or should the government go for a private valuation? Would the owner agree to that? These are complex questions.
I hope mpowerdome can be open again. I hope a way through can be found. I urge Minister Berry to continue to seek a pragmatic and sensible solution that delivers a good value outcome and brings this facility back on board for the Tuggeranong community.
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