Page 2636 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 5 June 2012
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Security Industry Act—Security Industry Amendment Regulation 2012 (No 1)—Subordinate Law SL2012-20 (LR, 17 May 2012).
Unit Titles (Management) Act—Attorney General (Fees) Amendment Determination 2012 (No 2)—Disallowable Instrument DI2012-49 (LR, 15 May 2012).
Waste Minimisation Act—Waste Minimisation (Landfill Fees) Determination 2012 (No 1)—Disallowable Instrument DI2012-69 (LR, 15 May 2012).
Education, Training and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee
Report 8—government response
MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Community Services, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Women and Minister for Gaming and Racing) (3.03): For the information of members, I present the following paper:
Education, Training and Youth Affairs—Standing Committee—Report 8—Future Use of the Fitters Workshop, Kingston—Government response.
I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
I am pleased today to be tabling the government’s response to report 8 of the Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs on the future use of the Fitters Workshop. The report, tabled out of session on 16 April, made five recommendations in relation to the future use of the Fitters Workshop—principally that it be used as a multi-purpose space and that Megalo Print Studio + Gallery be given an alternative site for a purpose-built facility on the Kingston Foreshore.
I want to thank the committee and the committee office for their work. There has been significant public interest in this issue both from the arts community and the media. There were 56 submissions to the inquiry and a number of public hearings. The information in the report is a clear reflection of the different views and positions in the community, but, Mr Speaker, it is little more than that.
On that basis, and having carefully considered the committee’s report, the government reaffirms its decision to refurbish the Fitters Workshop for Megalo print studio, consistent with our commitment in the 2011-12 ACT budget—that is, the government does not agree with the committee’s recommendations.
The committee’s reasoning and its referencing of facts to support its conclusions were less than persuasive. The arguments put forward by the opposition and the Greens to justify this inquiry were not verified or corroborated by the inquiry process, yet the majority of the committee still proposed that the ACT government breaks its promise to Megalo, go back on a budget commitment and further delay the refurbishment of the Fitters Workshop. That is not how the government treats its community arts organisations.
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