Page 2416 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 22 August 2006
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Next month Islamic women are holding a conference, something that they are doing as a result of their own initiative. I do not know whether the government is providing any funding, but that conference is very much an outreach gesture for Islamic women to engage with other women in our community. I applaud them on that initiative. Representations have made to me by young people in the multicultural community who believe they are not being heard—young people who are not necessarily represented by those who speak for their communities. For that reason I ask the government to ensure that it makes a special effort to consult with those young people.
A number of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds who are working in the community would be happy to assist the government in setting up those consultations. During the estimates committee process Mr Hargreaves said that things were pretty good in the ACT. I agree; they are pretty good. We do not have the ethnic conflict that we see in other communities but we cannot afford to be complacent about that.
During the height of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon—I hope it is all over—taxi drivers in the ACT said there was prejudice, that they were being discriminated against and that they were being stereotyped. We should listen to our taxi drivers as they are a barometer in society. I support the motion and hope that the government talks to those who do not usually have a voice in public discourse.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for the Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Housing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (10.49), in reply: I thank members for their support for and understanding of this process. I wish to refer to a few matters to reassure Mr Pratt and Dr Foskey about the integrity of this process. Members might recall that the strategy arose as a result of discussions at the multicultural summit.
It took a fair while to put together a booklet. It was a warts and all document that was not censored or edited in any way. The document, which was entitled The Way Forward, was prepared as a result of all the comments that had been made. We are seeking comments from the community on our draft policy document so that we can compile our strategy. Earlier Mr Pratt asked how the government would encourage feedback as a result of its consultation. The government will do that in two ways.
The Office of Multicultural Affairs normally communicates with the community through its newsletters, electronically and by approaching people who seek to be involved. However, I also have direct contact with the community. Recently I held another ministerial forum and I was pleased to be able to speak to 45 people representing 30 different groups, women’s groups, young people and groups from small and emerging communities—the very groups to which Dr Foskey referred earlier. I was pleased to get some feedback from those groups about the direction in which this government should be heading.
Mr Pratt talked about political upheaval in the multicultural community last year, which needs to be put into context. There was no political upheaval in the multicultural community. The political upheaval, which was isolated, occurred only in the Multicultural Council. However, it was so serious that we approached the question of its funding on a completely different basis. I will not fund an organisation that is moribund
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