Page 1228 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 23 August 1989
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
outside this country and also within who visit this fair city of ours.
If the sale of this site goes through - that is, the current site of the Playhouse and the existing library - I trust that the Government will not lose these funds into consolidated revenue. Let there be no chance of that, Mr Speaker. The Rally will be very concerned to ensure that this does not happen. I would strongly suggest that the Government consider placing the funds from the sale of this site, if it does go through, into a trust account so that the money is not lost into the bottomless pit of consolidated revenue, and so that while the cultural development is being properly prepared and planned these funds can be retained. It may be possible for some additional funds to be made available, if this trust account is properly and effectively managed.
Mr Speaker, it is with some regret that I am unable to be on that committee, but pressure of work in other areas precludes that. At the heart of the motion is a concern for Canberra's cultural expression of itself at all levels. We have the scope to bring in international and interstate works and performers to entertain and enlighten us, but we have just as much scope, and an obligation as well, to ease the way for our own writers, world famous writers, performers and artists to tell us more about themselves.
I am pleased, in closing, Mr Speaker, to see that this motion will go through on the voices, and I look forward with great interest to sitting in on some of the committee's deliberations and also to reading the report of the select committee.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Sitting suspended from 11.54 am to 2.30 pm
QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Environment Education
MR MOORE: My question is addressed to the Minister for Industry, Employment and Education. In view of the recent publicity surrounding the proposed staffing cuts to the Environmental Outdoor Education Centre at Birrigai and the relevance of that to our general environmental attitudes, can the Minister enlighten the Assembly as to whether or not the reduction in staff numbers in that area will go ahead as part of the budget?
MR WHALAN: Mr Speaker, the question relates to the budget statement and the details of the expenditure and savings which are being examined by the Government and are being discussed in the consultation process at this point in time. Regardless of the outcome of those discussions, I
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .