TRAVEL REPORT The Hon. Michael Atkinson MP Attorney-General ...

Meeting SummaryMr Omerza welcomed and thanked the delegation for showing such aninterest in their country and city . He apologised for the absence of the CivicAdministrators and explained that most of them were on leave .Topics of discussion included the issue of Slovenians who live in Australiaresulting in the two countries enjoying very close links . Many Slovenians wentto Australia in the post-WWII period . The difficulty the community now faces ishow to encourage the maintenance of the Slovenian language and culture inits expatriate communities .The delegation was interested to hear about some of the political difficultiesrelating to a planning issue concerning the building of a mosque in the city . Aright-wing political party came up with the idea of opposing the mosque forpolitical purposes . They sought a referendum, which the Constitutional Courtof Slovenia refused, on the basis that it would constitute a breach of universalrights . The mosque will now be built as part of a multicultural centre .The city of Ljubljana appeared to have preserved its history well, maintainingthe planning integrity . When there are planning conflicts, for example,development versus preservation, old buildings receive a high level ofprotection . An institution has been set up for the protection of old buildingsand its assessment is required before any approval can be granted . Evenunder the socialist system, buildings received protection . The difference beingthat now if a decision is made to develop, it becomes much easier toimplement .There are 17 local communities able to submit proposals to the City Council,each representing their individual interests . The local communities have noexecutive powers, but have strong political representation through Councillorsand are financed by the government of the city . The Revenue comes from theState budget - depending on : the number of taxpayers ; compensation for useof land ; levying of fees and sales of city real estate .Traffic is a major problem in Ljubljana as 10,000 people commute to and fromthe City every day and there are insufficient garages and parking lots . Thereis a proposal to close down parts of the old city to traffic . Drastic measureshave been tried to improve the situation and despite action which includeswheel clamping, the culture of illegal parking still persists .There are no direct resources in the budget allocated for water, sewerage,public traffic, waste disposal, cemeteries, recycling programs and publicparking . Waste management, water supply and traffic will receive subsidies inthis year's budget . A problem had resulted from public moneys being movedfrom municipal issues to education, sport and arts . The State has changedthe legislation requiring the City to be responsible for education up to Year 9and at the same time has set up much higher standards for the provision ofthis education .Travel Report, Hon . Michael Atkinson, M.P. and Ms. Vini Ciccarello MP., August, 2004 24