Thursday 27 November 2014

Hansard of the Legislative Council

Exeter - Online Access Centre

Mr FINCH Question to LEADER of the GOVERNMENT in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Dr GOODWIN

(1) Can the Government give an assurance that the Online Access Centre at Exeter in my electorate will receive the funding promised for the rest of this financial year?

(2) The Exeter Online Access Centre coordinator, Jan Biggar, has emailed the Education minister but has not received a satisfactory response. Can the Government give an assurance that this important community centre will continue to give access to the more than 860 people who used it last year?

ANSWER

Mr President, I thank the honourable member for Rosevears for his question.

(1) As members would be aware, this Government made a saving strategy commitment in this year's Budget 'to improving access and sustainability of rural libraries and online access centres'. These exact words were part of the budget bill that was passed by this House. To execute this budget saving strategy, consultation with communities and Online Access Centre committees will occur in the following months about future plans for services. Underpinning these consultations is a guarantee that free community access to computers and the internet will be maintained.

(2) This Government will continue to support free community access to computers and the internet while seeking to find efficiencies and budget savings in the ways in which these services are delivered.