Page 2901 - Week 07 - Thursday, 7 June 2012
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On behalf of the ACT community, the Canberra Liberals say to the government today: as the stewards of this place, the place that you hold in trust, this heritage place, do not wreck it. Do not give it over to one exclusive use. Leave it with the community as a multipurpose space. Take the money you have already allocated and build a new purpose-built facility for Megalo. Let us find a real heart-throbbing centre for Kingston’s arts precinct in a multipurpose facility that could be the Fitters Workshop. I commend the motion to the Assembly. I hope I will receive support for the motion.
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) (5.47): Let us be clear, Mr Speaker, that we are here today because Mrs Dunne does not like the government’s response. She has not, as she has indicated, come to this without bias, and I think she has indicated that. I have not decried the music industry. I defy Mrs Dunne to point to any public statement where I have decried or disrespected the music community. Let us compare that to the public commentary by Mrs Dunne.
Opposition members interjecting—
MR SPEAKER: Order, members! Mrs Dunne was heard in silence. She was equally contentious. I expect Ms Burch to be afforded the same courtesy. I remind you that there are at least two members on a warning. Ms Burch, you have the floor.
MS BURCH: As I was saying, I request that if they have got any public comment where I have been disrespectful to the music fraternity they bring that forward. On the other hand, I have heard from a number of sources that Mrs Dunne directly attacked Megalo Print Studio at a public forum that was organised by the Childers Group. Mrs Dunne said of Megalo that it was the elephant in the room. She went on to say that we should be grasping that elephant in the room, roughing it up and sending it on its way. You can deny that, Mrs Dunne, but a number of independent sources have come to me and said that you described Megalo as the elephant in the room and that it needed roughing up and sending on its way, to the point that Megalo have now got a new logo—an elephant.
Mrs Dunne: I’m glad I’ve been the inspiration for Megalo, although they did mishear.
MS BURCH: No, they did not take it as inspiration; they took it as an absolute insult, Mrs Dunne, and it shows your bias to this from the get-go. Mrs Dunne has referred to consultant reports, acoustic reports and comments by performers. Let me provide some others:
I have experienced the acoustic in this venue a number of times. I can see why singers in particular like the space, as it enhances their voices. However, the claims made are exaggerated and are now getting silly.
There is another one from Mr Jim Cotter:
While it may be seen as a fine acoustic by choral groups the weight of opinion expressed to me by instrumentalists who had performed there was that it was an extremely difficult acoustic space in which to work.
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