Tonight I rise to bring to the attention of the House two items that are quite important in my electorate of Bass. First of all, the Labor-Green Government is shifting adult education in Launceston to the Launceston Library. It is a very sad fact of history now that the beautiful and elegant Mechanics Institute was demolished in favour of building the Launceston Library. I am no architect but I think it is a pretty ugly building. Nonetheless it is our library and it is already quite full and space-poor with many user groups, not least of which is of course the lending library. The community archives there are also under space constraints.
It is my understanding that adult education will be moving into the Launceston Library at Civic Square in the next couple of weeks now that some electrical work is nearing completion. Interestingly, adult education will still need to work out of York Street, so staff will in fact be spending time at both York Street and Civic Square. York Street is still going to be used by a number of community groups which have traditionally over recent years had access to the meeting rooms. Funnily enough these groups have not been told anything so they do not know what their future position in that building will be. Even more perversely I am advised that there are only three staff on board at adult education, but they will always be split – one at the library, one at York Street and of course the coordinator.
Staff will also have to look after High Street for the School for Seniors, so they will in fact be working between three workplaces, which is completely inefficient for just three staff. Staff have not been told any time frames on how long York Street will be kept or if indeed the government has some sort of long-term plan or agenda to dispose of the York Street property. These are great unanswered questions which I ask the Government to clarify immediately for the community because many people rely and depend on and have a great affection for our adult education and of course our library. Spare a thought for the library support groups and supporters in the community who already feel the space constraints.
The second matter I want to bring to the attention of the House tonight is community concern surrounding what is called the George Town hub. It is a proposed building to be based right next to and adjoining the Memorial Hall. I am concerned that this is going to be a new LINC as well as a child and family centre. The government have branded it the ‘Hub’. That is okay, I do not mind the name, but what concerns me very greatly is that the community-managed online access centre has been told that it has no place within the new hub. It has been told instead that the online access centre will be reduced to a basic computer area, unable to provide the adult education and training courses it currently offers. Time does not permit me to go into those but there are many good uses and community education that have occurred there.
There was a last-minute consultation meeting on 2 August hosted by the Education department. Representatives of the online access centre have told me that they have simply felt their concerns have fallen on deaf ears. I do acknowledge that the plans for the hub have changed and have been improved, nonetheless the centre volunteers have been told they have just two options. Firstly, allow their only paid worker to join the LINC staff; secondly, stay where they are in the Memorial Hall, which suits them, but if they choose that option they would only have funding guaranteed for another 12 months.
On top of all this is the fact that the Government seems very determined to waste money. The Memorial Hall was recently renovated with quite a significant expansion to accommodate the library and the online access centre, at a cost of more than $3 million. To add insult to all of this injury, the proposed hub will be located right next door. The library and computer areas will simply be moved out. It is fair to say that would just be a duplication of facilities. That is not to say that the child and family centre will not be of useful benefit in the community, but why does this new building have to be based on Regent Square, when I understand that there were three sites proposed. The Government has pushed ahead with its desire to have the hub on Regent Square. Mr Speaker, I do not have to tell you it is causing serious concern with many members of the George Town community because of the impact this will have on the heritage values of this historic site.
Additional comments made during the Matter of Public Importance today September 2, 2010.
Mr FERGUSON (Bass) – Thanks to the member for raising this matter of public importance. I raised this on the adjournment last night so it is a pleasure to see it coming forward to the House again this morning. There were a number of concerns that I raised on the adjournment last night and I think they are quite serious matters but my colleague, the member for Braddon, Mr O’Halloran, has highlighted a number of other issues. There are some perhaps he may or may not be aware of that I will be raising in the House, as these have not yet been mentioned.
It is true to say that there has been some reorganisation by the Government in the previous Parliament and under the previous Minister, the Premier, to create this new bit of spin doctoring, the Community Knowledge Network, which is just a name. Everything needs a name so I do not have a quarrel with it. But it is just another brand name that frankly does not mean much at all – or anything – to the average Tasmanian.
I do not have a problem with bringing together organisational efficiencies between the Online Access Centres, libraries, Archives Office and Adult Education. So on those points, no dispute; but how it is handled and how it is managed in the community will obviously be of great concern, especially when important public policy outcomes fall through the cracks.
As we have heard in recent months, forcing the former entities to merge and become the CKN has actually meant, in simple terms, less room for books; less that can occur in library spaces. When we want to talk about brand names and spin doctoring, why can we not just stick with the word ‘library’, a word that means quite a lot to a lot of people? Instead we replaced it with new acronym of LINC. Why could we not have redesigned or re-engineered the word ‘library’ so people could understand that when you go to a library you will not just see books there; you will see technology and other support materials and online access facilities. But, no, this Government has to somehow recreate the world in its own image all the time.
We have seen recently concerns raised by unions and the State Opposition, and more recently the Tasmanian Greens spokesman about Tasmania’s ageing State libraries because of budget cuts and a lack of space. What we now know is that library staff and the buildings are stretched to the limit.
Our State libraries – in terms of physical space and their Online Access Centres – are merging with Adult Education. I raised this on the adjournment last night. They are really cramped. There is a lot of concern, in Launceston in particular; Adult Education in Launceston has three staff and they will be based over three locations, which is quite a strange outcome if we get to that. We were also recently informed that there was a projected $1.5 million shortfall in the recurrent cost budget for the LINCs – and that includes salaries and running costs. Why was it not budgeted for properly? Until today we have basically had a rhetorical argument about lack of necessary funding to the CKN, but now we know a figure. The projected shortfall was $1.5 million. Also, we know that this reduction in the budget has placed a significant strain on the
network.
I gave the example last night about the so-called ‘hub’, another brand name, in George Town. I have no quarrel with better facilities for people in my electorate, but how ridiculous, considering $3 million has just been spent on a beautiful memorial hall upgrade, which has included provision for the online access centre, as well as the library, only for them to be moved out. Where? Right next door. What will become of the spaces currently used by the online access centre and library? Nobody knows, so it is a waste of money from the outset. Time does not permit me to go into raising fair questions on behalf of the community about the placement of the new hub in Regent Square, which is a very historic place. It goes right back to the days of Governor Macquarie.
I also want to raise concerns that have been brought to my attention by the archivist community. They have massive concerns about the diminution of the role of the State Archivist. There was a significant controversy that happened in this corner of this building, sparked by my colleague from Bass, Mr Booth, who held aloft a number of pieces of paper and ultimately brought down a deputy premier. The role of the State Archivist, by segue, performs an important role with storage and keeping a government to account in terms of housekeeping with its paperwork. We now know that there is a serious threat to government integrity and accountability because the State Archivist’s role is also being brought into to the CKN and that position, I am advised, is now being reduced to that of a manager within the State Library.
Mr Booth – Yes, but that shredded document was one that the archivist never got.
Mr FERGUSON – The archivist never got it but you apparently did, Mr Booth, and you got it in pieces, I understand – and we will all wonder how you got it!
I am advised that the essential link between good governance and the future archival heritage of Tasmania will be served by a manager whose fifth duty on their position description is to undertake the role of the
State Archivist, so I think there are some very big concerns there.
There are some local nuanced issues. There is the well known example of the Archives Office being migrated into the Murray Street Library, or LINC or whatever I am supposed to call it now. There are space constraints occurring across the network. There is a lack of funding. It shows a lack of planning. It also shows that this Government in particular, headed by this Premier, always wants to rewrite our community and give new brand names to new initiatives. It ultimately shows that it is a superficial attempt which, unfortunately, has been highlighted by Mr O’Halloran and now me as resulting in community angst, disappointment and a reduction in service to people in our community.
Knowledge is important and access to information on a reliable basis is what we should be supporting today.