Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 20 November last year I attended a public meeting at the RSM Club in Casino in relation to the impending sale of the Casino drill hall. It was due to be auctioned three weeks later, on 10 December. The community at large were unaware it was going to be sold until the signs went up a few weeks prior to that public meeting. Over 200 people at the meeting asked very specifically for me to have the sale stopped to see if the community could get together to purchase it so that it could remain in community hands. I immediately went to see the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Darren Chester, who was in charge of selling this. I asked him to defer the sale. After some negotiation where I explained to him the importance as well as the historical and cultural significance of the building, he gave the community six months to get back to him with a proposal.

I can happily say that the community of Casino has rallied. The Richmond Valley Council—under the charge of Mayor Ernie Bennett and general manager John Walker—have purchased the hall from the defence department. I wish to thank the Richmond Valley Council, the RSL subbranch involved and my ministerial colleagues for giving us the opportunity to buy this at a very cheap price for the community so that it can be turned into a military museum and stay in community hands. (Time expired)