Page 2279 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 4 August 2021
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Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Leave granted to dispense with the detail stage.
Bill agreed to.
Planning—ACT Infrastructure Plan
Debate resumed from 23 June 2021 on motion by Mr Barr:
That the Assembly take note of the paper:
ACT Infrastructure Plan—Update—Ministerial statement, 2 June 2021—
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra—Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Business and Better Regulation, Minister for Human Rights and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (11.49): I am pleased to speak on this ministerial statement today. As the Chief Minister said a month or two ago, the ACT Infrastructure Plan is a blueprint for our city’s development and a vision for the future.
The 2019 Infrastructure Plan acknowledges the key role that cultural facilities play in the city’s infrastructure. As our creative industries grow and develop, a strong network of community-level facilities is required to foster talent and build the pipeline of tomorrow’s talented creators and creatives. To respond to this growing demand, the ACT government has been investing in our 13 government-owned arts facilities to ensure that safe and fit-for-purpose creative spaces are available for arts activity to flourish in the region.
The $15 million stage 2 of the Belconnen Arts Centre opened to the public in August 2020. It includes a new theatre, exhibition space, rehearsal space and events kitchen. The new flexible theatre space can hold up to 400 seated patrons, with the added flexibility of multiple stage and seating configurations to allow for a variety of audience experiences. I have been very pleased to have attended on multiple occasions now and seen the variety of ways that it can be configured. The expansion of the Belconnen Arts Centre is part of the ACT government’s commitment to providing better infrastructure for our growing community. The centre offers an environment that is accessible and engaging to all and encourages the community to interact and participate in the arts.
Projects underway to meet the ongoing demand for creative spaces in the ACT include those being funded under the upgrading local arts facilities program, under which $1.675 million over three years was allocated in 2019-20.
Safety upgrades at Ainslie and Gorman House arts centres are being funded from this program. The final design for a major refurbishment project at Gorman House arts
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