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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 7 Hansard (25 June) . . Page.. 2501 ..

MS GALLAGHER (continuing):

One thing I have noticed is that this debate unites the community. Mr Pratt said that the federal government enjoys the support of the majority of Australians. However, I do not think it can be said that the majority of Australians support the federal government's policies in relation to refugees and asylum seekers. Mr Howard plays the race card subtly and well and he elicits support when it is needed. Community groups, church groups, unions, people in the community, grandmas and people at schools all work together in their own way to welcome refugees to the ACT. What is not being reflected nationally through public policy is being reflected at the grass roots level.

Last year I attended a function that was held at the Migrant Resource Centre for refugee children and holders of temporary protection visas. As the budget of the Migrant Resource Centre was limited to $20, it provided only biscuits and cheese. I was asked to present welcoming certificates to children between the ages of six weeks and eight years. Each child was presented with a certificate and a book and I said, "Welcome to our country. We are pleased to have you here. This gift is a little something from us."It was such a nice and happy occasion that I wondered what else could be done for those children, many of whom had obviously never owned a book.

That motivated me into hosting a Christmas party at the Assembly. Many members of this Assembly donated gifts for those children. Some concern was expressed about the fact that the Christmas party was not reflective of all cultures. However, at the end of the day, every child who attended that little gathering had a pretty good time, even if they did not understand the full meaning of Christmas. They certainly benefited from the little gifts that people had donated and there was time to reflect and to welcome them again. Unfortunately, what is happening at the grass roots level is not being reflected in national policy. Federal Labor, which is not necessarily blame free, must do some work in this area.

At 5.00 pm, in accordance with standing order 34, the debate was interrupted. The motion for the adjournment of the Assembly having been put and negatived, the debate was resumed.

MS GALLAGHER

: Ms Tucker referred earlier to racism in schools. As the Minister for Education I am concerned to hear about cases of racism in schools. I acknowledge that we cannot ensure that racism will not occur in every playground. Some incidents of racism will occur but a lot of work is being done to ensure that inclusiveness and diversity are welcomed at schools. Children must be taught to respect and understand different cultures. When cases are brought to my attention I ask the department to look closely at them to ensure that we are making a clear statement that we reject racism.

A lot of workers in the ACT education system support school environments when issues arise involving people from overseas or indigenous students. I am more than happy to investigate any incidence of racism, as that is something this government rejects. To finish on a positive note, which is what Ms Tucker did, I made a decision not to refer to my daughter in this house. However, as I said earlier, when she asks questions about what is happening in relation to the refugee issue, I will have great difficulty explaining it to her.

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