Page 2352 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
That whole Lyneham precinct, Southwell Park, is an incredible sports hub now. I was out there watching a game with Hockey ACT the weekend before last. I know Mr Doszpot was there on the same day. It was an important fundraising occasion for breast cancer awareness and research. But if you think about that precinct, it is an incredible hub and it is continuing to be improved.
Just turning to a few of the specific issues raised during the debate, I am aware of the diesel line markings issue, and I know that Mr Doszpot has raised this over a period. In light of that, it is a question that I have asked the directorate about already in the time that I have had the portfolio, and I have said, “Well, give me some more background on this issue.”
I have certainly been out and chatted to some of the staff who actually work on the sportsgrounds. They are convinced that diesel line markings are the best approach, for a range of reasons which I will touch on briefly, the essence being that they provide a more permanent solution. The various painted markings have the potential to be removed very quickly, particularly if there is heavy rainfall. If we had a significant rainfall event right across Canberra and all the markings were washed away, it would not necessarily be possible to get them all done again in time for a round of weekend sports fixtures.
That is one of the very practical issues that sit there. Certainly there is work that goes on to ensure that the lines do not become too deep. There was some reference to that in the estimates response from the government today. Each spring there is renovation of pitches right across the city, and part of that is ensuring that there are not deep holes being formed where the lines are being marked.
That said, given Mr Doszpot’s considerable interest in it—I have been meaning to speak to Mr Doszpot about this, but I will mention it now that the issue has come up in the chamber—I am more than happy to arrange a site visit at one of the TAMS depots where Mr Doszpot can have a chat with some of the staff who work on this on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps we can both go along and thrash the issue out in a little bit more detail.
When it comes to higher fees, I note that Mr Doszpot was commenting on last year’s decision, but it certainly has struck me that one of the issues that we face is that, like many of these government facilities, the fees paid for the hire of sportsgrounds is significantly below the cost to government of maintaining the facilities, and I think that this is an issue—
Mr Coe: Are you going to apply the principle to ACTION buses as well?
MR RATTENBURY: Well, it is an issue right across the city in a range of services, including public transport, where the government do provide a subsidy. Now that does not mean that the government should not seek to get a reasonable return. Just as we have seen some increases in ACTION bus fares in order to reach some benchmarks around fare box revenue, it is not unreasonable for the government to seek to recoup a reasonable level of return from the community to assist with the upkeep of the ovals and ensure there is good revenue to maintain a high standard.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video