Page 3179 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 11 September 1991
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Croatian, in German, in Swahili, those of us who have an interest in those parts of the world could be better informed as to what is happening there because we could hear it in its original language.
That is one of the things that you discover when you get into some of the languages that are different in their nature from the European languages, the ones that we are accustomed to; they are very precise languages. While you might hear a translation of what somebody says, it is only a translation and it is often quite inaccurate. If you really want to know what is going on in those parts of the world, you can only truly know by listening to what is being said in that language and being able to translate and interpret it for yourself. So, this is not only for those who have come from other parts of the world. Such a station would have great benefit for those of us who were born here and who are not, perhaps, in today's terminology, ethnic.
I support this proposition for many reasons. I think that, as a community, we would be continuing to deny social equity to the people from other parts of the world who are living in our community if we did not support the provision of such a facility; we would also be doing ourselves a disservice if we did not support it. Mr Speaker, I wholeheartedly support the proposition and I think we should do whatever is within our power to assist the ethnic community to establish such a facility.
MR COLLAERY (12.17): Mr Speaker, this was a timely motion to come in on a day when the Rally was pursuing issues of equality of opportunity for people in respect of their language difficulties. Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights entitles minority groups to cultural protection. It also encourages states to provide for continuity of ethnic linguistic, cultural and religious affinity within groups.
In that respect it is a mandate for all Australian governments, although it is not a positive obligation, which have moved to outlaw discrimination and, sadly, this Territory still has not its own laws. It is a mandate to ensure that, where governments are able, they should facilitate special groups in measures they may take to protect their own languages, cultures and religions. Many of those people we are talking about are in a disadvantaged situation. Either they are low on the socioeconomic ladder, or they do not have power in the community.
I will come straight to the issue at hand. The proposal is that there be a community based radio station. I want to sound a note of caution. The Australian Labor Party has spent, nationally, huge sums of money in this area in pursuit of what I call a state culture which it developed
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