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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 3905 ..

MS TUCKER: No, it is fine. I am asking questions here, Mr Humphries. I am telling you what the feeling of the meeting last night was. I think you should listen because it sounds as if you have a bit of damage control to do. I am perfectly willing to accept that your intentions are good, but you do have damage control to do because people there were feeling very unhappy. As for the question of whether you were there or not, I also accept that that was an oversight. They said you were not invited.

Mr Humphries: On whose part?

MS TUCKER: You were not invited. That is what is so amazing. If this is a whole-of-government approach, someone in this Government neglected to tell the Minister for Arts that there was a significant meeting going on to talk to the community about what they perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be a major new initiative in arts funding. They neglected to tell you, the Minister for Arts, that you should come.

Mr Humphries: The Government did not organise the meeting. The Community Information and Referral Service organised the meeting. That is why we did not go.

MS TUCKER: All right; okay. Mr Humphries interjects that it was a community organisation that did it. I knew that that meeting was on, and if you were in touch with the arts community you should have known too. I wonder why your bureaucrats did not let you know. I am not attacking bureaucrats; I am asking a question, though. Where are the communication links? Honestly, it was really unfortunate that you were not there, Mr Humphries, because you - - -

Mr Humphries: Well, I am sorry. I did not know it was bloody on.

MS TUCKER: Yes, I know. I am just telling you that that is why you have to get into damage control, because that was a mistake, even if you did not mean to not be there. It had a very unfortunate consequence because, basically, this is a political decision and you have to answer the questions. If it is as you say, if it was not about consulting people about a proposal for a new arrangement but was actually the presentation of a trial, then you do have a problem and it was not - - -

Mrs Carnell: It makes no difference.

MS TUCKER: It makes no difference; okay. It makes a huge difference to the community when they are presented with a fait - - -

Mr Humphries: How?

MS TUCKER: I wish you would just listen.

Mr Humphries: I am listening.

MS TUCKER: If you present people with a fait accompli like that, saying, "We are going to have a trial", and then the question is asked, "Okay, how are you going to evaluate the trial?", you say, "That has not actually been worked out yet". That is your response. It is not your responsibility as Arts Minister, apparently.

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