Page 3245 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 21 August 2019
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MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (11.56): I am sure every member of this place has been to countless fantastic multicultural community events in our city. They have probably taken place in a school hall, maybe at EPIC itself or across the square at Theo Notaras. I am sure that many of them have been quite cramped because the events have been incredibly popular.
These are all inherently wonderful venues but they are not spaces designed to accommodate increasingly large events. Not having suitable community spaces for emerging communities to engage with each other limits the reach and impact of community events and it makes large-scale events uncommon.
Gungahlin is in need of a designated event and community space that can accommodate larger events, in particular, large multicultural events. Gungahlin is a vibrant multicultural community. It is the most culturally and linguistically diverse region in our city. Thirty-three per cent of Gungahlin residents were born overseas; 33 per cent speak a language at home other than English. It is important that our government supports different communities across Canberra and helps these communities to develop and thrive.
This is an essential part of the government’s plan to foster a welcoming and open city. In March this year the ACT joined the Welcoming Cities network to continue our commitment to inclusiveness. Community groups need spaces to put on events and to have meetings. Without access to suitable spaces, events can become expensive, be in an inconvenient location or in a space that is just not suitable. Currently, there are not enough of these locations in Canberra. I think now is the right time for the government to explore options for the creation of a venue for hosting large multicultural community events.
Given its demographics and undeveloped spaces, and maybe a little bit of bias on my side, I think Gungahlin is the perfect location for a venue such as this. As we are the most culturally and linguistically diverse region in Canberra, this is where a large-scale multicultural venue should be built. Gungahlin is already home to so many active community groups that struggle to find suitable venues to host their events. There is nothing quite like turning up to a community event in Gungahlin and having someone whisper in your ear that they desperately want a larger space. It happens every time.
I think EPIC is the right location. I listened with interest to what Mr Rattenbury had to say about the town centre, but I think EPIC is a good location. It is between the city and Gungahlin. It is surrounded by a precinct that could really be vibrant with the addition of a facility like this. Whilst existing buildings in Exhibition Park are currently used for events such as this, often they lack some of the facilities that are needed to really make these events happen.
A venue like this would mean more events. More events mean more community engagement. As a government we must nurture and develop community groups as they are a net good for the wider community. A key indicator of a livable city is its social connectedness, or social capital. Social capital is the idea that the ties that bind
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