Page 184 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 23 February 1994
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are step or blended families, with 9 per cent of all children living in step or blended families; and, of the 83 per cent of families which are couples, almost one couple out of every 10 is living in a de facto relationship. These figures illustrate the diverse nature of families. To concentrate on trying to define a family leads to arguments about semantics rather than to solutions to the challenges facing families today.
Madam Speaker, a recent survey on people's attitudes towards families indicates that families, whatever their structure or type, are valued above all else by Australians. We also know that what really counts is the quality of the relationships between people. It is this that gives families their strength. The Government recognises the great diversity of family structures that exist in the ACT and takes the view that for the purposes of the International Year of the Family a family is any group of people who consider themselves to be a family. This is in harmony with the following United Nations viewpoint:
The International Year of the Family should give attention to strengthening families in ways that increase equality, caring, mutual respect and responsibilities while respecting the diversity of family structures.
Madam Speaker, the Government already does much to assist families. The Government provides assistance to families for the education and care of their children. We provide health care facilities and services to meet the needs of families, and assistance to help families care for aged family members and those family members with a disability. The Government places a high priority on providing support to families experiencing difficulties. It also strives to create an ACT environment that is safe and pleasant for families. In particular, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to providing services to support young people and their families, the elderly, and the carers of the elderly in the ACT.
Reflecting the Government's commitment to young people, a number of significant initiatives were announced in the 1993-94 budget. Funding has been provided for the establishment in late 1994 of the Tuggeranong Youth Resources Centre. The centre will be a venue for young people who live within the Tuggeranong region, enabling them to gain access to information, activities and programs in a safe and controlled environment. Additionally, extra funding has been provided to the school integration program, to allow young people with a physical or behavioural disability requiring special support to be educated within mainstream settings. To provide additional support to young people affected by current levels of unemployment within the ACT, the Jobskills program will continue to fund training positions for the long-term and unskilled unemployed. Funding has been provided for 100 places in 1994-95.
Madam Speaker, the Government also recognises the needs of our older citizens. The Government is tackling head-on the complex issues which need to be addressed in our aged care system. We are actively working with the Commonwealth Government to resolve major issues related to the funding of nursing home and hostel accommodation for the elderly, the provision of respite care for our older citizens, and the improvement of the quality of care for dementia sufferers. The Government is also addressing accommodation choices for older Canberrans by ensuring that the new Territory Plan allows greater
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