Page 1388 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 April 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
organised enough to actually make this about the War Memorial and call on the ACT government and the Assembly to do something about the War Memorial. Instead he is using this just to grandstand.
Unlike Mr Rattenbury, I actually visit our national institutions regularly. We have got a family membership to Questacon. I go to the National Library regularly. I was at the National Film and Sound Archive very recently. Of course there is the new John Howard library at Old Parliament House. I was at the Portrait Gallery just recently. I am sure all of us would have been to some of the blockbusters at the National Gallery. There are, of course, other institutions like the National Museum which I will be at in just a couple of hours time.
I think it incumbent upon all members of this place to support our national institutions. These are fine organisations, and I would like to see more funding go to them, absolutely. I am pleased that this budget, just as previous budgets from the commonwealth, have committed considerable resources to these institutions. I note the huge expenditure taking place at the War Memorial. We have seen additional capital for Questacon, additional capital for the National Library so that they can expand upon Trove, which really is a world-class repository of information, and all the other capital works that are taking place at other institutions.
I think that we can do better, mind you, as a city to promote them but also I think the commonwealth can do better to coordinate some of the activities of these national institutions. The idea of bringing them under one umbrella has been discussed in the past—and I know that there are some advocates for that—and it is worth investigating because at the moment they are all in different departments. I think at times it is hard to get a level of coordination when it comes to sequencing events and exhibitions. That said, I think the events organisers, the marketing people and all the staff of these institutions do a great job, not just selling their institution but also promoting Canberra and promoting Australia.
I have never come across anybody who has visited the War Memorial, for instance, and has not been overwhelmed by the dignity with which they tell our history. It is an extraordinary place. In a few weeks time the War Memorial will again be at the centre of the nation’s psyche when it comes to 25 April. They do a superb job at honouring Australians and New Zealanders on that day.
I am disappointed that Mr Rattenbury has used this speech to attack the premier attraction in this country—that is what he did in his speech—and I do not think that is becoming of a member of the ACT Legislative Assembly.
MR BARR (Kurrajong—Chief Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Social Inclusion and Equality, Minister for Tourism and Special Events and Minister for Trade, Industry and Investment) (3.37): I am pleased to speak in support of the motion, particularly its reference to the proper resourcing of our national cultural institutions. I foreshadow I have an amendment to move shortly to one part of the motion that relates specifically to the War Memorial.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video