Page 1005 - Week 03 - Thursday, 21 March 2019
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(8) the ACT Government and this Assembly supports:
(a) the ACT’s membership of the Welcoming Cities Network to strengthen our ongoing commitment to an inclusive city; and
(b) the ACT Government undertaking a benchmark assessment against the Welcoming Cities Standard by the end of 2020.
Canberra is a community that embraces diversity. Our commitment to social inclusion extends to all cultures, races, genders, sexualities and ages. We do not discriminate and we do not just tolerate; we are proud of our achievements in making Canberra a place where everyone can feel welcome.
We led the nation to legalise same sex-marriage, with 74 per cent of Canberrans voting yes and a remarkable participation rate of over 80 per cent in the non-binding voluntary postal survey. We led the nation by becoming the first state or territory in Australia to register with the Refugee Council as a refugee welcome zone. We have led the nation by introducing the ACT services access card, which allows eligible asylum seekers to access a suite of ACT government services, programs and entitlements.
More than 26 per cent of Canberrans were born overseas. One in four Canberrans speaks a language other than English at home, with the most common languages spoken being Mandarin, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Hindi. This wonderful diversity enriches our social and economic life. Today the city of Canberra has among the nation’s fastest growing populations. We are expected to be a city of half a million people by 2030. This financial year alone, as a community we have welcomed 51 people from Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan.
It is up to all of us in this chamber to ensure that Canberra continues to be a welcoming and supportive place to live. We have a longstanding commitment to welcoming and providing support to new migrants, to people arriving in Canberra on humanitarian grounds and to those seeking asylum as they make Canberra their home. We have taken a national leadership role in the support of refugees and people seeking asylum.
I have mentioned that in 2011 we introduced the ACT services access card to enable asylum seekers to access a suite of ACT government services, programs and entitlements without the need to retell their story to different agencies repeatedly. I am pleased to inform members that the access card is currently being reviewed to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of new arrivals.
In 2015 the ACT was the first state or territory in the nation registered with the Refugee Council of Australia as a refugee welcome zone. In 2016 the ACT formally joined the safe haven enterprise visa scheme. Introducing the ACT services card, becoming a refugee welcoming zone and joining the safe haven enterprise visa scheme demonstrates our commitment to and community support and compassion for refugees and asylum seekers looking to start their new life here in Canberra.
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