The case for Melbourne’s arts scene
We’ve just listened to Kelli Underwood’s strong case for Melbourne’s sporting scene. Next up is The Age senior culture writer Karl Quinn, who is here to argue on behalf of the arts.
Quinn started off by sharing his experience as a child growing up in Brisbane, and later a young person living in London and Melbourne. He’s always found it difficult to balance his love for the arts and sport.
“Sport demands we pick a side. The arts, however, strive to find the things that bind us despite our differences,” he explains.
But Quinn seems to have settled on a compromise. Melbourne needs both the arts and sports to thrive to be at its best. It has grown into a city of major events.
What is the heart of Melbourne, sport or art?
We’re having a fun debate here between sports journalist Kelli Underwood and The Age’s senior culture writer Karl Quinn.
The topic is whether arts or sport is the true heart of Melbourne.
Underwood’s take is that sport, in fact, is art.
Live sport is the best theatre, she reckons, because we don’t know what will happen at the end. Caroline Wilson’s footy columns are great literature. And the roar of a crowd at the MCG rivals the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
What we’ve covered so far
Thank you for following our live coverage of day three of the Melbourne Assembly civic forum, hosted by The Age and the University of Melbourne.
We’ve just heard from Opposition Leader Jess Wilson, and our afternoon panels are about to commence. Here’s a look at what we covered this morning:
- Premier Ben Carroll shared the Labor Party’s plans to combat Melbourne’s housing crisis, including announcing its plan to build 25,000 new homes for first home buyers.
- Franco-Colombian urbanist Carlos Moreno, our keynote speaker and pioneer of the 15-minute city concept, discussed the importance of proximity in cities, and why the inner-city needs to be better connected with Melbourne’s suburbs.
- Our healthy places and people panel, presented in partnership with Bupa, discussed the importance of active spaces and cycling infrastructure. City of Melbourne chief executive Alison Leighton said that public discussions about bike lanes tend to become “divisive”.
- Opposition Leader Jess Wilson spoke about the Coalition’s plan to reduce Victorian debt, which includes a plan to sell a fruit and vegetable market if it wins the upcoming election.
Next up is a debate for the ages – it’s “Arts v Sport” featuring The Age senior culture writer Karl Quinn against sports broadcaster Kelli Underwood.
Stay tuned as we continue to bring you our live coverage of today’s event.
Wilson says she wants to bring back hope
The final question from the audience is about what kind of world Wilson wants today’s children to inherit.
“I think the most important thing that I’m focused on is how do I bring back hope to this city. How do I bring back hope to this state?” Wilson said.
“What I’m hearing from Victorians is that they feel like there is a malaise over this state. There’s a sense of pessimism, and we need to turn that around. We need to give hope back to the next generation.”
Repealing treaty will save more than $1b: Wilson
Jess Wilson has reiterated her party’s intention to repeal Victoria’s First Nations treaty if the Coalition were to be elected.
“We’re doing so to ensure that we see a billion dollars in savings over the next decade, and that we can ensure that we are putting money into programs and outcomes that are going to deliver for Aboriginal Victorians,” the opposition leader said.
Wilson added that the Coalition earlier today committed more than $50 million to the Victorian Aboriginal Controlled Health Authority’s urgent health pathway programs.
“I’ve had constructive conversations with representatives of the treaty. I’ve made sure that we have that open dialogue, and we’ll continue to have that dialogue if we’re successful in November,” she said.
Expanding CBD will be ‘transformational’: Wilson
Wilson is now asking about the Coalition’s housing policies, which include scrapping high-density activity centres around train stations, accelerating outer-suburban developments, and expanding the CBD into inner-city suburbs.
“We haven’t seen that development of the CBD and the expansion of the capital city zone will be transformational,” she said.
“We also acknowledge that we do need to be building more homes in established areas. But we need to do so in a way that brings the community with you.
“We want to see more homes and more choice. Not everybody wants to live in an apartment.”
Wilson said the Coalition would restore the right of locals to object to apartment projects in their neighbourhoods.
Wilson stands by ‘pause and review’ approach to SRL
State political editor Chip Le Grand is now asking the opposition leader a question about her party’s position regarding one of the state’s largest infrastructure projects.
“Is your plan for fiscal recovery predicated on scrapping the Suburban Rail Loop?” Le Grand asks.
“My concerns with the Suburban Rail Loop is that we do not have a plan to pay for it,” Wilson says, adding that the government’s recently scrapped “secret tax” for public transport users has left a hole in its costings.
“The only responsible thing to do for an incoming government that has no visibility of the contracts … is to pause this project to make sure we do a review that is swift,” Wilson says
“Then we make a decision in the best interest of Victorians, taking into account the contractual arrangements, the financing arrangements, and of course, the construction at that point in time.”
Wilson says Coalition tax cuts will cost $5 billion over four years
The Age’s state political reporter Chip Le Grand has asked Wilson how she can repair the budget while also promising to cut taxes.
Independent economist Saul Eslake has estimated the Coalition’s promised tax cuts will reduce government revenue by around $7.5 billion over four years.
Wilson says the opposition estimates they are worth less – around $5 billion over four years.
“We’ll have more to say over the next few weeks around our policies relating to expenditure and relating to savings, but we will put forward a fully costed plan,” she said.
Watch: Wilson claims ‘moral imperative’ to pay down debt
Wilson said there was a “moral imperative” to pay down Victoria’s record-high debt.
“Debt isn’t an abstraction on a budget paper. It’s a bill, and someone always pays for it. We can have a plan to pay for it now, or we can leave it to our children,” she said.
“The interest bill this year is more than [the funding for] Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police, and all kindergarten services combined.
“By balancing the books, stopping the borrowing, and reducing the interest bill, it will allow more to be invested in the very services that Victorians need.”
Liveability starts with budget repair, says Wilson
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson says the task of safeguarding Melbourne’s future liveability starts with repairing Victoria’s budget.
Focusing on her election pitch of financial prudence, Wilson said the state is in no position to invest for its current or future infrastructure needs.
“Melbourne is projected to become Australia’s largest city. So, how do we grow without losing the vibrancy and liveability that makes this place so special to live? It’s a great question,” she said.
“The answer I have to your burning question starts with the Victorian budget.
“Every ambition we have for this city depends on a government in Spring Street that can pay its way, a government that works for Victorians, a government that can afford to build schools and pay teachers, to maintain hospitals and pay nurses and doctors, to properly fund a police force and provide a justice system that keeps people safe.”
Victoria’s net debt is on track to reach $200 million by the end of the decade. Wilson has promised to deliver a budget cash surplus by 2032, and has outlined what the Coalition claims is $24.5 billion in budget savings as part of its election pitch.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
