Page 520 - Week 02 - Thursday, 22 February 1990
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National Exhibition Centre
MR WHALAN (5.12): I seek the leave of the Assembly to distribute two plans which relate to the National Exhibition Centre, and which help to explain to members the point I wish to raise.
Leave granted.
MR WHALAN: The matter relates to the future development of Natex, and I think that it is common ground with all members of the Assembly that the operation of Natex as a commercial venture applying commercial principles is generally acceptable. Until recent years the financing of Natex was the subject of a subvention from the Government, but in recent times that situation has changed and, increasingly, the operation of Natex is maintained within its own revenue. So the recurrent expenditure on redevelopment and capital development has been possible through the Exhibition Trust's own revenue efforts. It is possible that that might change slightly in the immediate future, but I think that in the long term the aim should be for Natex to become financially independent and operate as a commercial utility of the Government of the ACT.
As part of that basis, Natex has entered into a number of commercial activities, so that last year we saw the operation of a service station on the site. The result of that operation has been to provide rental revenue plus capital which has enabled capital development of further buildings in the exhibition centre. Also, there is a long term plan to continue that development on the showground as the need arises - and I am told that the need is continually arising - to achieve those objectives.
With that in mind, last year the Exhibition Trust was granted an additional area of land in the form of a 99-year lease. I would refer members to the diagram which has "Natex" up in the top right hand corner. That particular diagram has a shaded area and a heavy black line, drawn in a sort of circular manner around the arena. That heavy black line around the arena is the outer limit of the current development of the exhibition centre. Then there is a broken line which runs to the north across to the west, then down again. That is the area that I am referring to. That area was given to Natex on the basis of a 99-year lease and that is an area which will be available to it for future development. Indeed, much of it is used currently by Natex on various occasions for various functions and it will continue to be developed for many years into the future.
However, the problem that has emerged is that the National Capital Planning Authority, in redesigning the Federal Highway, has drawn a big line right through the middle of it. This has caused grave concern to both the Royal Agriculture Society and also the board of Natex. Therefore, Mr Speaker, I wish to place on record my
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