Page 2832 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 13 August 2019
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There are many, many more important projects and initiatives contained within the Chief Minister’s stream and the broader Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate. I will return to those in different portfolio areas in various speeches, principally on Thursday, I believe. We will continue to work within the broader directorate on the result of this year’s budget and of course continue to work on the government’s ongoing policy and reform agenda.
Whilst there is not time to list each of those initiatives just within the Chief Minister’s stream tonight, I thank all the staff within that stream and indeed the broader Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate for their work and enthusiasm in delivering initiatives that will make a real difference for Canberrans through the coming 12 months and beyond. I commend this part of the budget to the Assembly and indicate, as I have mentioned, that I will return to discuss other elements within this broader directorate on Thursday.
MR RAMSAY (Ginninderra—Attorney-General, Minister for the Arts and Cultural Events, Minister for Building Quality Improvement, Minister for Business and Regulatory Services, Minister for Government Services and Procurement and Minister for Seniors and Veterans) (6.18): I am delighted in this part of the debate to speak in the area of the arts in the ACT. The 2019-20 budget contains a number of initiatives that continue to build on the ACT government’s strong commitment to the arts in the capital. It promotes greater access to the arts, capacity building for artists and arts organisations, engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and building the strength, diversity and accessibility of the Canberra arts scene.
Largest amongst these is the Kingston arts precinct, which will be the largest investment in arts infrastructure in the history of the ACT. The concept of the precinct has been in development for over a decade. The investment will deliver on a number of ACT arts policy principles. The new facilities and collocation of arts organisations at the precinct will bring enormous vitality to the Canberra arts landscape, promoting greater access to the arts through programming and supporting great artists with purpose-built spaces for making and collaborating.
The development will bring together visual arts organisations to create a precinct that delivers artistic excellence while also offering access to the arts at a community level. Kingston is already home to the Canberra Glassworks and Megalo Print Studio, two organisations whose facilities are used by internally renowned artists, as well as locals who just want to come and try.
The 2018-19 budget review includes funding for staff to assist the delivery of the Kingston arts precinct, including into the outyears. The funding is for two positions that will sit within artsACT and will be responsible for managing the relocation of arts organisations to Kingston, including the design development phase and establishing precinct management.
The 2018-19 budget review also provided funds for upgrades to the former transport depot in Kingston, the iconic and much-loved building which houses the old bus depot markets, amongst other things. There is $5.9 million allocated to replace the
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