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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 10 Hansard (29 August) . . Page.. 3653 ..

MR STANHOPE (continuing):

significant issues around the care of ageing people within ethnic communities. There are issues around the extent to which some children from some communities do not achieve as well at school as perhaps one might hope.

These are issues that we need to continue to focus on, just as we need to remain vigilant about some of the incipient, insidious racism which continues to be a feature of the life experience of so many people from diverse, ethnic and non-English-speaking backgrounds here in Australia.

Let us not pretend that people from within ethnic communities in Canberra do not continue to suffer racist taunts or racism, mostly covert. Let us not forget that it continues to exist. We also need to remain vigilant about the extent to which people of other backgrounds participate in all aspects of community life-the extent to which they are represented on boards, the extent to which they are represented in parliament, the extent to which they are part of the mainstream community life here in Canberra, the extent to which they feature on invitation lists from major organisations in Canberra, the extent to which their overseas qualifications are recognised. These are the range of issues we need to remain mindful of.

MR TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER: The discussion is concluded.

Finance and Public Administration-Standing Committee

Report No 26

MR QUINLAN (5.12): I present the following report:

Finance and Public Administration-Standing Committee (incorporating the Public Accounts Committee)-Public Accounts Committee Report No 26-Review of the Auditor-General's Reports of the Performance Audit of the Redevelopment of Bruce Stadium, dated 27 August 2001, together with a copy of the extracts of the minutes of proceedings.

I move:

That the report be noted.

I think this is the final report on the Bruce saga. It is an important report really because it does try to tie up the lessons that might have been learnt from the Bruce Stadium fiasco. It embraces the 12 volumes, some 10 centimetres, of Auditors' reports initially; the subsequent report No 3 on market research and marketing, which was held back for a couple of reasons, commercial-in-confidence and a few legal problems; and, significantly, a summary of the Auditor-General's report entitled Enhancing professionalism and accountability, a report that I have referred to as the Rob Tonkin report because Mr Tonkin gave the opinion that the Auditor had not given any recommendations in his previous audit report and therefore the 10 centimetres of Bruce Stadium audit reports were of limited value. I think Mr Parkinson may have taken a little umbrage at that and in return has written a very pointed report that might assist Mr Tonkin in the future.

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