Page 989 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
ACT. It will be interesting, when it is revealed who that is, to hear how long they have been in the ACT. For those that do not know—I think it is on 25 May—there is a race day coming up which will be dedicated to family business. It is about raising the profile of Family Business Australia and family businesses in the ACT. The reverse of that is to say thank you very much for what you do in contributing to the community.
That is the point I will close on—the contribution to the community. In so many ways family businesses contribute to our community and the wellbeing of our community. Family businesses are often right at the touch point, the contact point, whether it be medical if you are in a small doctor’s practice or service delivery if you are in a shop or you provide a service. They know their community and they look out for their community. We are far better off as a community for the role that family businesses play in our community because it is so often person to person, people to people. That is something that we cannot afford to lose.
It is important that they are acknowledged in government policy. It is important that we recall them when we make decisions as legislators. It is important that we thank them so that they do understand we support them in all that they do. They create the wealth, they provide the employment and they provide the services. At the end of the day, so many of our family businesses are at the heart of our communities.
The example that most springs to mind is the Kalokerinos family and their almost 40-year association with the milk bar at Curtin. Vince was Curtin shops. When Vince passed, Viola became the heart of Curtin shops. That is what we cannot afford to lose—the people, the identity, the caring, the loving, the contribution, the giving, the creation. All of the good things that come out of family businesses flow immediately back into their local community. Some of it is by osmosis and some of it is directly through things like employment. But at the heart of all our communities, if you look around, the person that you probably most identify with a location, indeed, is a family businessperson. For that we should be very thankful. I thank members for their support for this motion today.
Motion, as amended, agreed to.
Liquor Amendment Bill 2012
Debate resumed from 22 February 2012, on motion by Mr Rattenbury:
That this bill be agreed to in principle.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Attorney-General, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development) (11.19): The government will be supporting this bill. The introduction of this bill gives the government an opportunity to make some comments about the liquor reforms over the past two years. The government has always looked to establish a solid working partnership between the liquor industry, the community and government, and it is pleasing to see that this ongoing partnership appears to be delivering results for our community.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video