Page 1721 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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I do know that there are some individuals who do not like the idea of the Office of Multicultural Affairs being right there in the centre. Whatever reason they may have, they have not shared it with me.
Mr Mulcahy: Methinks you know.
MR HARGREAVES: They have not shared it with me.
Mr Smyth: Have you asked them?
MR HARGREAVES: I do not know how I could possibly ask. I really do not. I have to say that when it comes to conversations with the multicultural community, I actually have done an enormous amount of that with the forums that I regularly have with the communities. I move within those communities quite regularly and I speak to the leaders of those communities quite regularly.
Indeed, it was just the other day that we had the multicultural youth forum, and an incredibly successful event that was. Where was that? It was in the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre. I spoke to the next generation of multicultural leaders. Did they express any concern about that? No, they did not say a thing.
By way of letting folks know, Mr Pratt talks about multicultural affairs in his capacity as opposition spokesman. I have not heard back yet, and it may not have crossed Dr Foskey’s desk, but I have extended an invitation to both Mr Pratt and Dr Foskey to co-host the breaking of Ramadan during the next wee while. We wanted to have a tripartisan approach to multicultural affairs. Last year Mr Pratt hosted one. I did some work—
Mr Mulcahy: I think he has already got one underway.
MR HARGREAVES: If he has, I wish him all the success in the world with it. That is fantastic. When it comes to multicultural affairs, we are not going to play politics. That is why I have issued the invitation. I will be paying for the event. There will be no charge levied on my fellow Assembly members, but I would seek their acceptance of the invitation to join me in breaking Ramadan with the Islamic community and anyone else that wants to celebrate it.
I am happy to talk to Dr Foskey about this issue if she has specific concerns, but at the moment I can do no more than to tell her that the reason is that I want to have greater connectivity with the multicultural community.
MR SPEAKER: Do you have a supplementary question, Dr Foskey?
DR FOSKEY: Yes, Mr Speaker. How were the views of other occupants of that building sought—for instance, in regard to the loss of the children’s room—before the decision to move was made?
MR HARGREAVES: I do not have the details of that process about my person. I am only too pleased to seek that information from the department and bring it back to the chamber as soon as I have it.
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