Page 2255 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2016

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The refugee transitional housing program has been running since 2008. Under this program, Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services is provided with up to 16 transitional properties for refugee families and helps families to transition into permanent, stable accommodation. Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services has advised that 100 per cent of the service users exiting the refugee transitional housing program to date have transitioned into private rental, facilitated through partnerships with philanthropic investors, landlords and home owners in the investors can help project.

The asylum seeker transitional accommodation program was developed to address gaps in service delivery for single male asylum seekers through the provision of transitional accommodation and support. Housing and Community Services also provide seven three-bedroom transitional properties to the Canberra men’s centre to provide 21 supported accommodation places. The ACT government is supporting and will continue to support our multicultural communities. We affirmed this commitment in the ACT multicultural framework for 2015-20 and through the government’s social inclusion and equality agenda.

We will continue to implement and periodically review the accessible and transparent systems already in place to ensure that our multicultural communities can make full use of the benefits available to them and all Canberrans in our wonderful city.

I move:

Omit all words after paragraph (1)(d), substitute:

“(e) the ACT Government has led other jurisdictions to become the first Australian State or Territory to be declared a Refugee Welcome Zone;

(f) the ACT Legislative Assembly has supported the increased humanitarian intake of refugees announced by the Australian Government; and

(g) the efforts of local service providers in delivering vital support for refugees, asylum seekers and all multicultural communities in the ACT; and

(2) calls on the ACT Government to:

(a) continue to implement refugee and multicultural policies that celebrate diversity and contribute to a broad social inclusion agenda aimed at giving all Canberrans the chance to belong, to contribute and be valued; and

(b) continue to implement accessible and transparent systems which allow all members of the community, including culturally and linguistically diverse groups, to access land, facilities, services and support in building an inclusive and supportive environment for all Canberrans.”.

MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Corrections, Minister for Education, Minister for Justice and Consumer Affairs and Minister for Road Safety) (4.42): I


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