Page 1182 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
motivated against the Indian community and the effect that that had on the international reputation of Melbourne as an education destination.
We must continue to promote our inclusive city and the people in it. Our values as an inclusive city have also been demonstrated in several other events that have taken place in the past two months. The Canberra Citizen of the Year Award recognises the efforts of community members who strive to make this city a better place. We certainly heard from the Canberra Citizen of the Year, Alex Sloan, a very inclusive message about inclusion and our community.
At the Connect and Participate Expo we saw help for Canberrans of all abilities and ages to join groups and build social connections around common interests, with over 100 sport and recreation groups, craft and music groups, performing arts, hobby, social and special interest groups represented.
It was also great to participate in Seniors Week and the Canberra Gold Award, which highlighted the significant contributions Canberra’s senior citizens make to the Canberra community. Of course, International Women’s Day was celebrated around our capital, including here in the Assembly.
One of the events supported by the ACT government included the International Women’s Day Youth Forum hosted at Gungahlin College at which young women were encouraged by leading experts from our community to “be bold for change” in advancing the progression of gender equality and opportunities for women.
Madam Speaker, the government does a lot to ensure that our community members and our difference and culture are celebrated in our city. But we need to do more continuously to improve our support for inclusion and to embrace diversity because there is always more work to do to tackle discrimination and foster inclusion in the community.
I said in my speech last week, responding to the minister’s statement on Harmony Day and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, that as leaders in our community we must all take leadership in this place to stand up for our values and that we must not accept racial discrimination or vilification of members of the community.
This motion seeks to affirm our support to embrace, support, advocate, celebrate and encourage those members of our community who may not feel accepted by others. This is particularly important in the wake of a failure of leadership and a leadership vacuum from those in the federal government, the sort of leadership failure that has allowed a toxic debate to rage on in the Liberal and National parties about changing section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 which, in extraordinary circumstances last week, coincided with Harmony Day celebrations and the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Concerns have been raised vocally by Chinese, Jewish, Arab, Aboriginal, Indian, Greek and Armenian community leaders. In a joint statement they warned that the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video