Page188 - Week 01 - Thursday, 3 December 2020
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I am a proud member of Meridian and I thank them for their work. I extend my unending thanks to the community activists, advocates, policymakers, nurses and doctors who led the fight against HIV. As a result of the leadership of the LGBT community, drug user leagues, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled health organisations, the promotion of safe sex and drug harm minimisation is now part of the fabric of our public health system. This progressive approach to health care has saved and will continue to save lives. In particular, I thank Philippa Moss, the CEO of Meridian, and Joshua Anlezark, Deputy CEO of Meridian, as well as Jacob White for his personal and powerful Dr Peter Rowland Memorial Address.
In recent years, medical advancements such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, have drastically reduced the number of transmissions of HIV in countries with strong public health systems such as ours. PrEP is a daily dose of HIV medication taken by a HIV-negative individual to prevent getting HIV. I am proud to be someone taking PrEP and I am proud to be proactive about my health and wellbeing as a gay man, as well as the health of my community. Research shows that PrEP is more than 99 per cent effective in preventing HIV transmission. Alongside routine HIV and STI testing, community awareness training and the high adherence of the HIV-positive community to HIV medication, the rates of transmission of HIV will continue to drop significantly.
I am grateful to our community organisations, medical professionals and public health systems who have enabled, encouraged and supported the community to be empowered in their own health and wellbeing.
Valedictory
Schools—languages curriculum
MRS KIKKERT (Ginninderra) (4.00): As we approach the end of 2020, I take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the residents in my electorate of Ginninderra who, in October, asked me to return to this place to make sure that their voices are heard. I value every vote that was cast next to my name and once again pledge my service to the good people of Belconnen. I likewise thank all those who supported my election campaign in any way. I also thank my staff for their hard work and dedication, which helped to carry me for the past four years. I am pleased to have Sylvia, Joe and Brett back with me for the next four years.
Like many others, I am looking forward to the arrival of a new year with hope for new and better things. There are resolutions to be made, goals to be set and achievements to pursue. My hope is that our hard work in the present will carry forward to the new year and give us a solid foundation for future growth.
Sadly, this will not be happening for many year 6 students at Hawker school. Hawker has a strong reputation in a number of curriculum areas. This includes its French program, taught to children from kindergarten to year 6 by a specialist teacher. Previously, students who wished to build on this strong foundation by continuing to learn French at high school could do so because the school to which they were assigned by the ACT government offered instruction in both French and Indonesian.
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