Page 2851 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 22 November 1989
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I have a question on notice on this issue and I am still waiting for an answer. It would seem to me that there is something incredibly wrong when $4.21m or $4.12m was allocated back in the 1987-89 budget era for the provision of this facility. What we now find this year in budget paper No. 6 is that no money is to be allocated to this.
In August last year the community group that was involved with the planning of Tuggeranong Town Hall agreed with the nature of the facility that should be provided. We now find that it went back into the bureaucracy and disappeared in there. When it came out, it bore no resemblance to the agreement that was made by the committee that looked at it back in 1988.
I understand that there were some changes made to the structure of community consultation in that area and that the group that was involved agreed to allow two members of that committee to continue the negotiations. But I have it on good authority and good advice that what has ended up in relation to this area is nowhere near the facility that was agreed to by the community in accordance with the costs. We find, as I understand it, Mr Speaker, that, as every month goes by, what can be produced and provided for the people of Tuggeranong reduces at an estimated cost of $28,000 per month. It is about time the Government came clean on this issue and provided a clear answer to the people of Tuggeranong as to what is proposed to be done and when we are likely to see a facility that was started back in 1987-88.
MR HUMPHRIES (3.44): Mr Speaker, I cannot let this item of the budget pass by without commenting on one aspect of the arts and heritage program, in particular a promise made during the election campaign by the then spokesman on the arts, now the Chief Minister, concerning the funding of a special expanded arts festival surrounding Floriade. I believe the sum was in the order of $200,000, but I would stand to be corrected on that; it may have been $400,000.
Ms Follett: It was $200,000.
MR HUMPHRIES: It was $200,000. I thank the Chief Minister for her recognition of the promise that was not delivered. The fact is that that was an important promise made to the arts community and this budget does not contain that promise. There is no allocation in this budget for that promise to be fulfilled.
I have made comments in this place already about the way in which the electorate should treat politicians who make promises that they really make very little attempt to deliver. It is a message which I hope the electorate as a whole has already digested and will be acting on accordingly if they are concerned about things of that kind, but I think that it is worth making that comment in passing in discussing this item. I know that the arts area
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