SOUTH AUSTRALIAN COUNTRY ARTS TRUST (CONSTITUTION OF TRUST) AMENDMENT BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 3 February 2009. Page 1151.)

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (16:59): I understand that no other speakers wish to address this bill, so in making some concluding remarks I point out that Country Arts SA works to ensure that people across regional areas of our state have access to a wide range of enriching arts and cultural development opportunities. The South Australian Country Arts Trust has sought the state government's support in amending the South Australian Country Arts Trust Act 1992 and the South Australian Country Arts Trust Regulations 2004 in order to ensure ongoing and appropriate regional representation on the board of trustees.

I thank Liberal members for indicating their support for the bill during its second reading. The main purpose of the proposed changes to the act and regulations is to remove references to the country arts boards and to allow the trust to be reconstituted. This will reduce the organisation's current two-tiered governance structure to a single-tiered structure, with membership being directly drawn from regional South Australia and reflecting groupings of new regional boundaries.

I outlined previously in my second reading contribution the proposed new structure arrangements as well as the new regions for Country Arts SA services. Country regions will continue to be well represented, not only through membership of the board of trustees but also through the restructuring of the organisation's Grants Assessment Panel so that it incorporates 10 regionally-based members.

Furthermore, each of the regionally based trustees will have to reside in the region that they represent. These changes are unanimously supported by the trust since it will provide for a higher level of—and more equitable—regional representation on the board of trustees. Also, it will give the trustees an opportunity to be more involved across all aspects of Country Arts SA activities. With those final comments I commend the bill, and I look forward to it being dealt with expeditiously through the committee stage.

Bill read a second time and taken through its remaining stages.