Page 2959 - Week 08 - Thursday, 17 August 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
number of children in care. What was the list of other tenders received for the pilot? What criteria contributed to the decision that that organisation chosen was the best placed organisation to deliver the pilot program?
We also applaud the establishment of an inquiry into the high numbers of Indigenous children in care. But, again, we want to know what specific money is being spent on the inquiry, when it will start and who will head the inquiry. We call on the government to release the terms of the inquiry forthwith, prioritising this as a matter of some urgency. We call on the minister to table in the Assembly the cost involved for both projects. We agree with the committee’s comment that it is important for the Assembly and the community to be fully aware of outcomes and trends moving forward in this important area, especially for Indigenous children receiving child protection services and Indigenous children in out of home care.
We therefore agree with the committee’s recommendation that the ACT government report quarterly to the ACT Legislative Assembly on the progress made in reducing the need for out of home care places, with particular attention given to the reporting of Indigenous numbers. Furthermore, we agree that the ACT government report on how 2017-18 funding for the child protection system will be expended, as well as required reporting and accountability targets with particular reference to the plight of Indigenous children.
MR HANSON (Murrumbidgee) (5.18): I rise to talk about the veterans’ affairs portfolio as part of this line item. I will start by talking about an event that the minister and I went to last week, which was for HMAS Canberra. It is a very lovely event that occurs every year to commemorate the loss of HMAS Canberra in 1942. It was great to see the minister there. We shared a bit of a chat afterwards.
So that members can be aware of the significant linkage to this city, HMAS Canberra was first floated in 1927, and the coat of arms that sits behind the Speaker was actually designed specifically for HMAS Canberra. At that stage the ACT did not have a coat of arms. The ship HMAS Canberra was to be launched. It needed a badge, a coat of arms, to go with it; hence we have our coat of arms that then formed part of the badge of HMAS Canberra.
HMAS Canberra, which was a heavy cruiser, then took part in World War II, in a series of operations, including Guadalcanal, and in the battle of Savo Island, where HMAS Canberra was lost. Many people are unaware of this, but the ship bearing our city’s name was lost, with the loss of 84 lives and 109 wounded.
As the minister will attest, there was an excellent speech on the day, talking about the ferocious battle and the very gallant attempts to save the ship against all odds—the American ship that came and provided the rescue parties, and the ongoing battles that the crew of HMAS Canberra fought when they went on to serve on another ship, HMAS Shropshire. On the guns they would write “HMAS Canberra”; they never forgot.
HMAS Canberra (II) was another ship that sailed with our name on it. Currently, HMAS Canberra (III) is the biggest ship in the Navy’s inventory. It is one of the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video