Page 3690 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 17 October 1990
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schedule. I hope that the Government will consider supporting this proposal in the genuine spirit in which it is offered to the Assembly today.
Mr Speaker, the fifth part of the motion that I have put before you requires perhaps a little more explanation. I understand that other members of the Assembly have been provided with a copy of the report by Mr Bruce Haigh, a former Australian diplomat, concerning his recent visit to South Africa on behalf of the Australia-South Africa Training Trust. Mr Haigh has identified a number of young South Africans who would benefit from work experience overseas so that they could make a greater contribution to the future of their country.
The proposal need not involve scholarships for the individuals concerned and would not involve the commitment of any substantial ACT Government resources. It is proposed simply that the ACT Government offer to make places available in areas like ACT Electricity and Water, the hospitals or even local administration, where young black South Africans could gain greater experience in their chosen fields. I think it is a very practical proposal that no group in this Assembly should have trouble supporting. I understand that Mr Haigh would not expect the ACT Government to contribute towards either the travel or the salary costs of such placements. I put forward this idea for consideration in the hope that the Government will look at it seriously.
The final part of the motion, Mr Speaker, relates to Mr Berry's notice of motion, which has been on the notice paper since March of this year. That motion concerns the renaming of Rhodes Place in Yarralumla as Mandela Place. Now is probably not the time to go into a lengthy explanation of the significance of Cecil Rhodes' place in South Africa's history. Suffice to say that for many people this would be an appropriately symbolic act, given Cecil Rhodes' connection with white colonialism in South Africa. There are, of course, a number of issues concerning the legalities of ACT street names. Rather than resolving the issue hastily on the floor, it appears to me to be sensible to have the matter examined by a committee of this Assembly in the next few weeks.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, we on this side of the house look forward very much to Mr Mandela's visit to Canberra. I hope that the Assembly will see fit to honour him appropriately during his visit. I put forward this motion with that intention, and also with the intention that we make both symbolic and practical gestures towards Mr Mandela and towards the future development of his country.
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (10.40): Mr Speaker, this side of the house broadly supports the thrust of the motion put forward by the Leader of the Opposition and admits that there are quite a number of
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