Page 3420 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 22 October 2014

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remained in the motion, calling on the government “to promote better understanding amongst diverse ethnic communities and amongst various faiths and to do all we can to promote harmony”.

I call on all Canberrans to ask themselves: “What more can I do? Who do I know? Who is susceptible to feeling alone or to feeling vulnerable? How can I reach out? Who can I talk to? What encouraging things can I say?” We all have a responsibility, and a great deal of power in our hands, to have a functional society and welcome all peoples into our community.

Motion, as amended, agreed to.

OECD livable cities report

DR BOURKE (Ginninderra) (10.46): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes that:

(a) the ACT has been ranked number one in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Regional Well-Being Report 2014;

(b) this ranking follows the Property Council’s 2014 survey which ranked Canberra as Australia’s most liveable city; and

(c) these surveys are an important indicator of our city’s well-being on not only economic indicators like income and economic opportunities, but they also highlight the quality of life and civic engagement our community enjoys and has come to expect;

(2) further notes that:

(a) these rankings which analyse our scores in health, education, jobs, income, environment, safety and housing reveal the investment and hard choices made by successive ACT Governments to create a world class city and society; and

(b) these rankings enhance our reputation and contribute to our economic development and continuing diversification of our economy by providing tangible measurement of the attractiveness of our city as a place to invest, work, study and visit; and

(3) calls on the ACT Government to continue its strong and balanced approach to investing in our people, our services and our economy.

I move this motion today in tribute to Canberra—the people who live here and the people who built this community over its 100 years: the families, the planners, the visionaries and all who believed in carving out a capital for our new nation in this ancient land. It has never been an easy path. Accountants carped and cynics sneered, but we keep the flag of Canberra flying here. It is a tribute to our country’s spirit that


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