Page 1132 - Week 04 - Thursday, 22 April 2021
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and Jo Clay—have visited and spoken to the organisers, and we look forward to working as closely as possible together in encouraging this initiative.
In Spence, I would like to thank Narelle, Steve, Judy, Ian and Maureen, who believe that major arterial roads should be safe and accessible for the Canberrans that use them every day. They have expressed grave concerns about the new lane markings on Kingsford Smith Drive. I spoke to some of these folk last Friday, and have written to Minister Steel for an explanation as to why the lanes have been changed, reducing traffic from two lanes to one in many parts of Kingsford Smith Drive.
In Page, Gordon and Jason, who spoke to me in February about the poor state of Page shops, believe that long promised improvements by the ACT government should be made, and that ramp access should be provided for residents who need to utilise disability parking. Again, I have written to the relevant minister and I am yet to receive a response.
In Hawker, residents who believe that they deserve quality outdoor spaces are dismayed by the continued neglect of the Hawker Tennis Centre. Similarly, in West Belconnen, residents continue to wait for this government to take action to improve the ovals and community spaces that too often have been ignored and left in disrepair. The residents that I have met in cafes, pubs, outside shopping centres, at door-fronts and during events do not expect the government to solve all their problems, but they do expect the government to meet its basic commitment to provide quality services. They expect this government to maintain the community spaces they pay for. They expect this government to ensure the safety of the roads they use, pothole free. They expect this government to hear their concerns and, based on their concerns, to take action to solve often neglected issues within their community and shopping centres.
University of Canberra—reducing inequality award
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra—Assistant Minister for Economic Development, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Business and Better Regulation, Minister for Human Rights and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (5.49): I rise briefly tonight to congratulate the University of Canberra for being ranked number one in the Times Higher Education world university rankings for reducing inequality. You would be aware of the 17 sustainable development goals. Times Higher Education has been assessing universities against these goals, and this is the third year that it has done this.
Number 10 of those 17 goals is reducing inequality. In making these assessments, Times Higher Education has a sophisticated methodology, where it has assessed universities’ research on social inequalities and has looked at universities’ policies on discrimination—such as anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies—and accessible schemes, facilities and accommodation for people with disability. There is also, as a part of this, an assessment of universities’ commitments to recruiting staff and students from under-represented groups. This includes the proportion of the total student population coming from developing countries; students who identify as being the first person in their immediate family to attend university; and the recruitment of students and staff with disabilities.
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