❓ The Minister for Housing and Works outlines the Gallop government's commitment to improving Perth's design and vibrancy through public buildings, highlighting the appointment of a Government Architect and criticising past Liberal government projects.
AnsweredQoN 54Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Can the minister please inform the house about how the Gallop government is contributing to better design outcomes and a vibrant city lifestyle through public buildings? Mr F.M. LOGAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question and for his commitment to making Perth not a dull place and encouraging good design in public buildings. Great public buildings make a great city and a great lifestyle, and our government is committed to achieving great design through constructing great public buildings. One of the ways we will do that, and one of the ways that we are already doing it, is by the appointment by the Gallop government of Professor Geoffrey London as Government Architect. Professor Geoffrey London is from the University of Western Australia. I am sure that the member for Perth would like to know that he is already playing a major role in achieving great design in areas such as the new Treasury buildings, the new performing arts theatre in Northbridge - Mr J.H.D. Day : What new Treasury buildings? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr F.M. LOGAN replied: I thank the member for his question and for his commitment to making Perth not a dull place and encouraging good design in public buildings. Great public buildings make a great city and a great lifestyle, and our government is committed to achieving great design through constructing great public buildings. One of the ways we will do that, and one of the ways that we are already doing it, is by the appointment by the Gallop government of Professor Geoffrey London as Government Architect. Professor Geoffrey London is from the University of Western Australia. I am sure that the member for Perth would like to know that he is already playing a major role in achieving great design in areas such as the new Treasury buildings, the new performing arts theatre in Northbridge - Mr J.H.D. Day : What new Treasury buildings? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
I thank the member for his question and for his commitment to making Perth not a dull place and encouraging good design in public buildings. Great public buildings make a great city and a great lifestyle, and our government is committed to achieving great design through constructing great public buildings. One of the ways we will do that, and one of the ways that we are already doing it, is by the appointment by the Gallop government of Professor Geoffrey London as Government Architect. Professor Geoffrey London is from the University of Western Australia. I am sure that the member for Perth would like to know that he is already playing a major role in achieving great design in areas such as the new Treasury buildings, the new performing arts theatre in Northbridge - Mr J.H.D. Day : What new Treasury buildings? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr J.H.D. Day : What new Treasury buildings? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr F.M. LOGAN replied: I thank the member for his question and for his commitment to making Perth not a dull place and encouraging good design in public buildings. Great public buildings make a great city and a great lifestyle, and our government is committed to achieving great design through constructing great public buildings. One of the ways we will do that, and one of the ways that we are already doing it, is by the appointment by the Gallop government of Professor Geoffrey London as Government Architect. Professor Geoffrey London is from the University of Western Australia. I am sure that the member for Perth would like to know that he is already playing a major role in achieving great design in areas such as the new Treasury buildings, the new performing arts theatre in Northbridge - Mr J.H.D. Day : What new Treasury buildings? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
I thank the member for his question and for his commitment to making Perth not a dull place and encouraging good design in public buildings. Great public buildings make a great city and a great lifestyle, and our government is committed to achieving great design through constructing great public buildings. One of the ways we will do that, and one of the ways that we are already doing it, is by the appointment by the Gallop government of Professor Geoffrey London as Government Architect. Professor Geoffrey London is from the University of Western Australia. I am sure that the member for Perth would like to know that he is already playing a major role in achieving great design in areas such as the new Treasury buildings, the new performing arts theatre in Northbridge - Mr J.H.D. Day : What new Treasury buildings? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr J.H.D. Day : What new Treasury buildings? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I mean the old Treasury buildings and what we will make of them. Professor London is also making innovative use of the land above the underground railway station at William Street, which needs to be addressed as part of the New MetroRail project. With each of these projects the government wants to bring people back into the city and to encourage a vibrant lifestyle in the city. Over the next few years we will have some great opportunities to transform the city and put great design into public buildings. The reason for that is that in the next few years about 65 000 square metres of government office leases in the central business district will expire. This will provide the government with a great opportunity to play a key role in achieving great architecture and great design in public buildings. There are ageing government buildings on the fringes of Perth that are now facing the end of their economic life. Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr J.H.D. Day : Such as what? Give us an example. Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : There are a number of buildings on the edge of Perth. The Department of Housing and Works building in Plain Street is a classic example on the edge of the CBD. That needs to be looked at. We want the City of Perth to be a leading and interesting city. We want it to provide a great lifestyle, so that people can come to Perth on smart transport for entertainment and work. We want to integrate the design of our public buildings with our public transport system. We do not want to go back to the days of the Liberal government, which had ego-driven projects such as the belltower. What did the previous Liberal government achieve with its ego-driven projects such as the belltower? That was an isolated project, which members opposite call an icon project, that is basically a room with bells in that nobody can hear and that everyone complains about. It is not a tourism icon for the city. What did the belltower achieve for the rejuvenation of Perth and attracting more people into the city? It achieved absolutely nothing. Was the Liberal government thinking about good public design when it built the belltower? The previous Premier, Richard Court, intervened in the design and decided to do it himself. That was the Liberal government’s approach to good public design and good public buildings. The member for Perth can rest assured that it certainly will not be, and has not been, like that with the Gallop government. He should have a look at some of the designs for the new retrorail project. Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan : New retrorail? Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
Mr F.M. LOGAN : I apologise to the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure; I meant the designs for the new southern metropolitan railway. It will not happen like that under our government. It has not happened so far because of the leadership shown by the Premier in appointing the Government Architect. We will not return to the bad old days when the Premier decided to intervene in public architecture and contribute to the process simply because of the ego of that person.
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