29 MARCH 2017 Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NINTH ASSEMBLY 29 MARCH 2017 www.hansard.act.gov.au Wednesday, 29 March 2017 Community inclusion ............................................................................................... 1179 Dog management ..................................................................................................... 1200 Ministerial arrangements ......................................................................................... 1221 Questions without notice: Public housing—relocations ......................................................................... 1221 Public housing—Wright ............................................................................... 1222 Australian public service—impact of relocations ........................................ 1223 Planning—waste facility ............................................................................... 1225 Public housing—Holder ............................................................................... 1226 Public housing—Holder ............................................................................... 1228 Australian public service—impact of relocations ........................................ 1228 Public housing—Mawson ............................................................................. 1230 ACT Health—data integrity ......................................................................... 1232 ACT Health—data submission ..................................................................... 1233 Sport—community participation .................................................................. 1234 SHOUT—government support ..................................................................... 1235 Australian public service—impact of relocations ........................................ 1237 Education—policy ........................................................................................ 1241 Health—colonoscopy waiting times ............................................................. 1242 Australian public service—impact of relocations ........................................ 1243 Supplementary answers to questions without notice: Access Canberra—rental bonds .................................................................... 1246 Australian public service—impact of relocations ........................................ 1248 Paper ........................................................................................................................ 1248 Public housing .......................................................................................................... 1249 Australian public service .......................................................................................... 1273 Dickson land acquisition .......................................................................................... 1290 Adjournment: Pets and Positive Ageing .............................................................................. 1295 Diversity, inclusivity and racism .................................................................. 1297 Better Hearing Australia ............................................................................... 1298 Legislative Assembly for the ACT Wednesday, 29 March 2017 MADAM SPEAKER (Ms Burch) took the chair at 10 am and asked members to stand in silence and pray or reflect on their responsibilities to the people of the Australian Capital Territory. Community inclusion MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee) (10.02): I move: That this Assembly: (1) recognises the importance of inclusion as a core value of the ACT community; (2) acknowledges the need to continuously improve our support for inclusion and embrace diversity; (3) notes the ongoing focus of the ACT Government to embrace inclusivity in the ACT, and that this past month has unofficially become Canberra’s month of community inclusion through many events and government initiatives such as: (a) marriage equality week, which reaffirmed the fact that Canberra is Australia’s most LGBTI-inclusive city; (b) the National Multicultural Festival, which saw more than 280 000 people come together in the Capital to embrace and celebrate the many different cultures in Canberra; (c) Canberra Citizen of the Year Awards, which recognises the efforts of community members who strive to make this city a better place; (d) the Connect and Participate Expo, which helps Canberrans of all abilities and ages 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; (e) Seniors Week and the Canberra Gold Awards, which highlighted the significant contributions Canberra’s senior citizens make to the Canberra community; (f) International Women’s Day (IWD), including the IWD Youth Forum hosted at Gungahlin College, in 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; and (g) displays at the Enlighten Festival in commemoration of the 1967 Referendum, which celebrated that achievement while recognising we have more to do to ensure our First Peoples enjoy the same quality of life as other Australians; 1179 29 March 2017 Legislative Assembly for the ACT (4) also notes that despite our community’s overwhelming support for inclusivity: (a) the Federal Government is signalling to the Australian community that it condones and supports a small minority’s wish to “offend, insult or humiliate” others on the basis of their race, without any repercussions, by seeking to amend section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cwlth); and (b) the concerns flagged by Chinese, Jewish, Arab, Aboriginal, Indian, Greek and Armenian community leaders who in a joint statement warned that the Federal Liberal-National alterations to section 18C could “give a free pass to ugly and damaging forms of racial vilification”; (5) takes responsibility to ensure Canberra is a place in which everyone belongs, by reaffirming that: (a) as a progressive society, differences do not divide us but instead make our community an interesting and vibrant place to live; (b) we do not and will not accept racial discrimination or vilification of community members or visitors; and (c) we seek to embrace, support, advocate, celebrate and encourage those members of our community who may not feel accepted by others; and (6) calls on the: (a) Assembly to condemn the Federal Liberal-National Government’s decision to attempt to dramatically water down fundamental protections from racial vilification as currently set out in section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cwlth); and (b) ACT Government to investigate what further steps may need to be taken to protect Canberrans and visitors from racial offence, insults, or humiliation, if the Commonwealth Parliament passes the proposed 18C amendments. In my maiden speech I said that I was keen to be a champion of inclusion in the ACT. I am proud to live in a capital city that is inclusive. We embrace diversity and we are strengthened by it. That is why today I am moving this motion to highlight the positive aspects of inclusion here in Canberra. This motion asks the Assembly to recognise that inclusion is a core value of our community here in the ACT. It has been fantastic to live in Canberra over the past two months and enjoy the diversity of our city of inclusion. Just this month I joined thousands of Canberrans at the Enlighten festival and the night noodle markets. It was fantastic to see the light displays which were clever, interactive and artistic, but many of these displays also had a message. 1180 Legislative Assembly for the ACT 29 March 2017 In commemoration of the 1967 referendum, Old Parliament House was lit up in a dynamic lighting display celebrating our past achievements in tackling discrimination while recognising that we have more to do to ensure that our First Peoples enjoy the same quality of life as other Australians. I was also delighted to see the sustainable development goals projected on the Questacon building, including goal 5, achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, and goal 10, reducing inequality, including that based on income as well as on age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. These are goals that form part of a universal, inclusive and indivisible agenda calling for action by all governments to improve the lives of people everywhere. Enlighten was closely preceded by our famous National Multicultural Festival where more than 280,000 people celebrated all of the cultural diversity our city and our nation has to offer. The festival was celebrated with 419 stalls with 151 community stalls providing information, selling food and drink to raise money for their community work, and performing cultural and traditional dance. At the same time in February rainbow flags were flying across our city to celebrate equality and to celebrate our commitment to one Canberra. For a long time we also have known Canberra as Australia’s friendliest city for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people. The flags were a bright and colourful statement of our commitment as an inclusive and welcoming city, but also one that is strong and taking leadership based on our values, our inclusive values, and to signal that our government values the inclusion of same sex couples in our nation’s laws by supporting marriage equality legislation