Page 3899 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 19 September 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
sanctuary spaces included to give festival-goers the chance to find a quiet space away from the hustle and bustle.
Disability organisations were consulted to design and deliver improvements to make the 2017 festival more accessible and user-friendly for people with disabilities. A women’s safety audit was also undertaken to ensure that the footprint was a safe place that promoted inclusion and participation of all people in our community. With seven performance stages and some 400 stalls, the 2017 festival certainly set a high bar.
The ACT government is committed to ensuring that the 2018 Multicultural Festival builds on these successes and the lessons of the 2017 festival. Following the 2017 festival, there have been a number of debrief sessions conducted by the office of multicultural affairs. These engaged with key groups, including festival contractors, inclusion and participation staff who managed the festival in 2017 and other government representatives. The ACT government has also reviewed the results of a survey prepared by Volunteering and Contact ACT from the 2017 festival. The survey showed the level of satisfaction from festival participants and has enabled development of a strategic plan to improve the festival for next year.
I am confident that the 2018 festival will once again be a focal point of the multicultural calendar and will bring our city together to celebrate our diversity.
Government—support for veterans
MS CHEYNE: My question is to the Minister for Veterans and Seniors. Can the Minister inform the Assembly why it is important to help veterans transition from the ADF to civilian employment and what value they can bring to an organisation?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Ms Cheyne for her question. The ACT government is certainly committed to honouring and supporting those in our community who have served our country through the Australian Defence Force. One of the ways that we can do this is by assisting in the transition to civilian employment. ADF personnel are some of the most highly trained and skilled employees in the country and they are a valuable asset to our local community. They are trained to be leaders in a wide variety of fields, often having to perform complex and technical roles under intense pressure. It is for this reason that our veterans would be an asset to many organisations throughout our city.
But for those who have been in the ADF for a long period of time, particularly for those who joined the ADF at a younger age, the process of applying for either private or public sector jobs may not be one that they have done in a while. Like many highly skilled individuals who are specialists in their field, ADF personnel can sometimes also speak a slightly different dialect from those who are in the civilian workforce. That is why the ACT government is working to build resources to help those ADF members who wish to transition to civilian life in the ACT. We are looking at our own processes and our resources in the ACT public service as well as speaking with our Veterans Advisory Council and ex-service organisations to see how it is that we can smooth the transition into the private sector.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video