Derryn Hinch (Victoria, Derryn Hinch's Justice Party) Share this | Hansard source

I oppose this. I know the severity of it is because of the security aspects. We must take it seriously, and this is post 9/11. But I think what you are planning is like putting barbed wire on the Opera House. This is an aesthetic building; it is the people's building. I accept what you say, and it is true that since 2005 you have had that fence at the very top. It is unobtrusive. It is almost an optical illusion. You do not see it when you drive in. I checked again this morning, and you barely see it. But your plan to put in place this huge fence, whether it is vertical or not, the way you described it to me—I think it is too much. I cannot see why you cannot amend the situation, and I realise how serious it is. But, where you come up the drive and come into the Senate area, or its mirror image on the other side, you could put the big fence where the building starts, take it down to the ring-road down there, put the big doors across that you have to have and keep the retractable bollards there. All of that I agree with 100 per cent.

I am just asking you to reconsider taking away the thing that the building's architects won prizes for. They won awards for this building because of the sweep of that hillside—because it was a building built under a hill. It is so Australian, and to me what you are doing is totally ruining the aesthetics. I know people will look at me and say, 'The stupid aesthetics don't count when it comes to security.' I am sounding like a member of the Greens here! But the aesthetics do count, and I think these works are something that future generations will regret. I accepted it is post 9/11, I accept that these things have to be done, but I would ask you to just not put that there. You already have a fence to stop people going up the top.