Page 1013 - Week 03 - Thursday, 23 March 2017
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for sharing information in the interests of protecting vulnerable children. To this end, the committee has recently contributed to the Justice and Community Safety Directorate family safety coordinator-general’s community consultation on information sharing to improve the response to family violence in the ACT.
The committee will continue to monitor and review the deaths of children and young people in the ACT. It has undertaken to tighten feedback loops between agencies and entities that will benefit from the evidence the committee develops. The committee will also seek to establish a reporting mechanism with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body.
Madam Speaker, the government is committed to working towards the prevention of avoidable deaths of children and young people in the ACT, and I commend Retrospective: Progress in the ACT between 2004 and 2013, a report by the ACT Children and Young People Death Committee.
Woden town centre
Discussion of matter of public importance
MADAM SPEAKER: I have received letters from Ms Cheyne, Ms Cody, Mrs Dunne, Mrs Kikkert, Ms Le Couteur, Ms Lee, Ms Orr, Mr Pettersson, Mr Steel and Mr Wall proposing that matters of public importance be submitted to the Assembly. In accordance with standing order 79, I have determined that the matter proposed by Ms Cheyne be submitted to the Assembly, namely:
The importance of renewal in the Woden Town Centre.
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (4.01): I am pleased to rise today to talk about the importance of renewal in the Woden town centre. As a resident of the Belconnen town centre, I know just how important town centres are for creating a dynamic community in Canberra’s suburbs. Woden town centre is no exception; it is a diverse hub of good food, retail spaces and beautiful bushland for the community to discover and enjoy.
For example, take a walk around Woden town centre and you may find Cafe Ink. Tucked away inside the walls of the Woden town centre, those who stumble upon it will not only find some of the best Burmese curry in Canberra but also a remarkable story of social inclusion and strength in the face of adversity. Since 2014 Cafe Ink has been run by Loka Chanmi and his family. Loka came to Canberra in 2000 as a refugee from Burma, having lived in camps along the Burma-Thailand border. Loka now runs the cafe as a social enterprise. As a patron, you can get a cup of top-notch locally roasted coffee, freshly baked bread, meals made with local produce and organic vegetables from Pialligo. Behind the counter, Cafe Ink is offering employment opportunities and culinary skills for those who are marginalised from the mainstream labour market, including refugees and migrants.
Human stories like Loka’s demonstrate that Woden town centre has a strong community with a big heart and is full of hidden gems to discover. That is why it is so disappointing that Woden has been let down in recent years by an indifferent federal Liberal government. The exodus of federal public servants from Woden has been
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