Page 3191 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 August 2013
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some of our most important cultural art facilities. The improvements are important in ensuring that members of our community and visitors to our city can access a wide range of high-quality cultural experiences. More generally, they support Canberra’s role as a creative capital, that it is an exciting place to live and an attractive destination for business and tourism.
The ACT budget includes new funding for a major upgrade of roads in the Lanyon heritage precinct. $400,000 will be provided to improve the road condition resulting from major storm events in recent years, and the project will facilitate community access to the precinct and maintain public safety.
We continue with upgrades to the Canberra Theatre that will see improvements to meet the high audience and community requirements as the region’s main performing arts centre so that it can continue to attract world-class attractions. And while carrying out these important works to keep the centre up to standard, we are also looking to the future provision of a new facility in Canberra.
In 2013, the Cultural Facilities Corporation will work with other agencies on initiatives to plan for the future direction of the city centre and the future provision of cultural facilities, including theatres in Civic. This work will be undertaken within the framework of the city plan and through participation in the city to the lake project.
Reference has been made to the Childers Group. They did raise a number of points, and I will work through them as I have met with the Childers Group until now—certainly over this year and last. But I did want to thank Mr Smyth for bringing the matter of the Childers Group up because it did remind me that at one of their forums the then arts spokesperson showed her regard for arts organisation. I am told, in reference to the debate on the Fitters Workshop, she described Megalo as “the elephant in the room that needed to be roughed up and sent on its way”. If that is the regard that you over there have for community organisations, it is something that I will not be following as an example.
It is evident that many Canberrans already appreciate the benefits of arts and culture in our community. A priority is the establishment of arts hubs for fostering and showcasing the work of arts communities that support artistic excellence and contribute to social and economic outcomes.
This budget will see $300,000 allocated to progress the development of the Kingston arts precinct, and funding will allow for the completion of a feasibility study to develop a visual arts hub and transform the precinct into a hive of creativity. This budget will also commit $1 million over two years for capital upgrades at Gorman House, in addition to $1.5 million for the Ainslie Arts Centre as a music hub.
We are seeing the results of our investment in arts and arts infrastructure. As has been mentioned, upgrades to the Tuggeranong Arts Centre are due to be completed shortly, and upgrades to the Street Theatre are indeed completed. While the procurement design for the second stage of the Belconnen Arts Centre has been completed, you will be pleased to recognise, Madam Deputy Speaker, work will commence in the near future. Of course, in addition, significant works at the Strathnairn and Watson art centres have been completed.
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