Page 183 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 23 February 1994
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
PAPERS
MR BERRY (Deputy Chief Minister): Madam Speaker, for the information of members, I present the Treasurer's quarterly financial statement for the period 1 October to 31 December 1993; the ACT Health activity report for the December quarter 1993; the ACT Human Rights Office annual report for 1992-93, pursuant to section 119 of the Discrimination Act 1991; the Australian Federal Police annual report for 1992-93 on policing in the ACT, including the financial statements together with the Auditor-General's report; the National Crime Authority annual report for 1992-93; the Heritage Council annual report for 1992-93; the ACT Gazette, No. S282, dated 30 December 1993, relating to the administrative arrangements; and the National Exhibition Centre Trust annual reports for 1991-92 and 1992-93, including the financial statements together with the Auditor-General's report pursuant to the Audit Act 1989.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services): Madam Speaker, for the information of members, I present, pursuant to the Territory Owned Corporations Act 1990, the statement of corporate intent for Totalcare Industries Ltd for the period 1 July 1993 to 30 June 1996, and the explanatory statement relating to the statement of corporate intent.
INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF THE FAMILY
Ministerial Statement and Paper
MS FOLLETT (Chief Minister and Treasurer): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to make a ministerial statement on the International Year of the Family.
Leave granted.
MS FOLLETT: I thank members. 1994 has been declared the International Year of the Family by the United Nations and it presents us with many opportunities and challenges. It provides us with the opportunity to celebrate family life, to recognise the importance of families, and to work to support and strengthen families. It presents us with the challenge of openly discussing the changing face of families, of responding to the pressures on families and their needs, and of tackling the issues affecting families today. It also allows us to acknowledge the strength and the warmth of families, and at the same time to be realistic about the problems they face.
The declaration of the International Year of the Family has given rise in many quarters to discussion of what is a family. It would be easy for this debate to distract us from the more important goals of being responsive to the needs, and providing support to the roles, of families in our community. The fact that there is no easy answer to the question of what is a family is indicative of the complexity and richness of family life today.
The face of family life in the ACT is changing, but families in many different forms are still enduring. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in the ACT nine out of 10 people live with at least one other family member. Only 46 per cent of ACT families consist of a couple with dependent children; 16 per cent are single parent families, and of these single parents 85 per cent are women; 76 per cent of single parent families have dependent children; 5 per cent
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .