Page 1891 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 May 1990
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where assistance may have been forthcoming. I ask Government Ministers to examine their programs and to see what might be done to save what I believe is a highly desirable small business and very important arts enterprise.
Backstage Cafe
MR HUMPHRIES (Minister for Health, Education and the Arts) (5.24): Mr Speaker, I feel it is appropriate for me to respond to Mr Wood. Let me indicate that on the part of members of the Government there is not any constitutional reluctance to consider the proposal put by Mr Mico and supported in the Assembly today by Mr Wood. I have to say at the outset that I do not consider, as Mr Mico has argued, that the Government has a legal liability towards him. I have sought legal advice from the Government's Law Office on the question and accept the advice that there is not any legal liability there. It should be noted that Mr Mico supported the application by the TAU Theatre for refurbishment, which application was granted. As a result, Mr Mico's business has, as Mr Wood has explained, been put in jeopardy.
I should, however, point out that one of the reasons why it has been necessary to reject the application to me by Mr Mico, in the form he put it to me, was that in the funds for arts programs in the ACT at the time that I came into the position of Minister for the Arts there was absolutely no money available at all. Not one red cent was left in the arts budget for 1990. I ask members to bear in mind that I took office as Arts Minister on 5 December 1989. I very much regret that circumstance. I am sure that the things that were funded by Ms Follett, my predecessor as Minister for the Arts, were all very worthy, and I have no disagreement with any of the things she funded. I have to say that I regret, however, the fact that there was no money left for contingencies that might arise during 1990. This instance is one such contingency.
I have not dismissed the possibility of being able to assist Mr Mico in some fashion - I am currently exploring avenues for doing that - but I have to indicate at this stage that the Government cannot provide money simply because a small business is in difficulty. That is not the philosophy of this Government or any previous government, to my knowledge, in the ACT. It is not possible, as I have indicated, to provide money from the arts budget, other than money that has already been allocated. However, there may be ways around this problem and I am exploring those, I can assure Mr Wood, with all my strength at the present time.
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