Page 947 - Week 03 - Thursday, 22 March 2018
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The federal government needs to provide hope and support. Isn’t that what we as a nation are supposed to be about? As Minister Rattenbury has pointed out, I am not sure what Minister Dutton expects of those living in the community on 87 per cent of the Newstart payment, often trying to support their families in education, food, medical assistance and the basic costs associated with establishing a brand-new life in a brand-new country.
I have not experienced what many of our refugee and migrant communities have faced in their struggles to find safety in Australia. I have heard the stories, but the stories only tell you so much. Minister Dutton has not experienced what these people have gone through, either. But we know that Minister Dutton’s priorities have been on full display over the past year. From stereotyping members of Melbourne’s African community as gangs to paving the way to bring in white farmers from South Africa, he has ignored the very real damage his words have done to our multicultural communities.
On a more positive note, I am very aware of the giving and generous spirit of the ACT community. Charities such as St Vincent de Paul and organisations such as Canberra Refugee Support and Companion House are supporting refugee families that have been stuck in the federal government’s limbo as their visa applications are processed or rejected altogether and they make applications to higher courts.
As Mr Rattenbury has noted, these organisations are stepping in to provide temporary accommodation, food and medical assistance to help families and individuals meet the basic cost of living. Allowing members of the Canberra community to sponsor an increased number of refugees through an improved community support program is a way of demonstrating our values and the way we value our migrant and refugee communities.
I am pleased to say that the ACT government was also recently able to provide a one-off grant of $10,000 to Canberra Refugee Support, a member of the RASH committee—an organisation that Mr Rattenbury talked about—to enable them to continue to support families who have been effectively abandoned by the federal government as they seek to dispute decisions in relation to their refugee status.
We will continue to work with Canberra Refugee Support and other RASH members to see what the ACT government can do further in this space. The government will continue working to establish a consistent approach on this important issue with other states and the federal government to ensure that the basic needs of everyone living in our community are met. But this type of support is really a responsibility of the federal government.
I am pleased that the Canberra Liberals are not opposing this motion. I would encourage them at this late stage to actively support it and to lobby their federal colleagues to do the right thing. It is wonderful to see the giving, concerned spirit of Canberrans. We can see a demonstration of it in the gallery. I hope that this will continue.
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