Page 2200 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 21 June 2011

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Bradley Allen Lawyers, Union Offset printing, Watson Blinds and the G-Gungahlin. I wish them all the best for the 2011 Red Nose Day.

Scouts movement

MS BURCH (Brindabella—Minister for Community Services, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Women and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs) (10.08): Can I congratulate Chris Bourke on his first day in the Assembly. I would also like to thank Mr Coe and Mrs Dunne for bringing forward their thoughts around those two associations. They are very good associations.

Last night I attended the Scouts Australia function at the Southern Cross Club. The Scouts is the largest and most successful youth movement. It was started by Lord Robert Baden-Powell in 1907. Since then it has grown to 30 million members—boys and girls across 161 countries. In the ACT there are around 2,000 boys and girls aged between six and 25 who are members of the Scouts movement. They share fellowship and develop life skills, including innovation and self-reliance. Many of today’s community leaders, both in Australia and overseas, are former members of Scouts.

Also last night I spoke with representatives of the Arthur Shakespeare Foundation for Scouting. That was established to provide ongoing support to the Scouts movement. It is a commendable organisation. The movement has been celebrating in Australia the company of the Secretary-General of World Scouting. He spoke quite comprehensively of the benefits of the Scouts movement.

I would also like to refer to a connection between the ACT government and the Scouts community. Scouts Australia has taken on the task of re-establishing scouting in Timor-Leste as part of the wider community effort to assist young people, male and female, to gain a basic education, including life skills and enhancing their self-esteem.

Scouting in Australia is very pleased to have the support and partnership of the ACT government through the Centenary of Canberra Dollars for Dili program, as well as Rotary International. So an organisation that spans 161 countries has the support of this government in providing support to our very close neighbours of Timor-Leste.

Filipino community

MR DOSZPOT (Brindabella) (10.10): Last Saturday night it was my pleasure to be guest of honour at the Filipino Community Council’s Independence Day Gala Ball at the Southern Cross Club. The President of the Council, Mrs Perlita Swinbank, welcomed the 400 guests on the night, including Liberal Assembly colleague Alistair Coe and myself. It is always a great pleasure to attend the Philippines Independence Day Gala Ball as it is one of the key events on the ACT multicultural calendar.

My congratulations to Mrs Perlita Swinbank and her ACT colleagues in the Filipino Community Council, who year after year put on a world-class function that has everything: fine food, excellent company, dancing, wonderful music and, above all, a spirit of fun and friendship, which remains with all of us as a marvellous afterglow.


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