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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 3 Hansard (23 October) . . Page.. 4042 ..
MR HARGREAVES
(continuing):It is with great pleasure that I speak in support of our contact, communication and interaction with the multicultural community in the ACT. Another thing Mr Pratt said, with which I agree, is that our multicultural community is a highly valued resource and a highly valued segment of our community. But the way Mr Pratt talks about the government's inaction and lack of communication I take as a personal insult. I have strong links with the communities in this town.
My colleague the Minister for Health and Minister for Planning will remember the distribution of shadow portfolios in 1998 when we came together as the best opposition this place had seen for a long time. We had an argument over who would get what portfolios. Basically, we were happy to accept anything, except that the Chief Minister and I had, shall we say, an animated discussion about which of us was going to look after multicultural and indigenous affairs. Because he was senior, he won. But he said to me, "I'd like you to be the shadow assisting me,"and we split it.
It was this Chief Minister who put multiculturalism within the portfolio collection of the Chief Minister-not a junior minister, not a has-been minister, but the Chief Minister. That is not what I call not giving it due priority. I have represented the Chief Minister on numerous occasions at community functions. I have to say that some were more successful than others, but I have done it and I have done it with much eagerness.
Mr Pratt
: And you were fantastic last night, John.MR HARGREAVES
: Mr Pratt can slag me off if he likes, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I have to tell you I have never seen the little turkey running around the place. I have not seen him at any of the places I have been to in a community setting with a multicultural flavour. I have not seen his little face at all. Perhaps he is playing I-spy somewhere. I do not know.In the longstanding relationship I have with ethnic groups, particularly in my electorate, I have assisted them in furthering their culture, music, dance, cuisine and dress and to preserve their uniqueness within the oneness of Australian society. I have been saying that for well over 20 years. So I take it as a personal insult.
Some of the communities with whom I have a particularly close relationship in my own electorate say, "S P Ratt? I don't know who that is. Who's that?""Who's this Mr Spratt- Mr Pratt, sorry?"They do not know you, Mr Pratt. The Lao community have never heard of you, Filipinos have never heard of you, Sri Lankans have never heard of you, Indians have never heard of you and the Thais do not want to hear about you.
Those comments were given to me unsolicited, but I have to say they were welcome even if unsolicited. All you have to do is go to some of these functions and make your face known, instead of slinking around the back doors at a meeting like this and then coming in this place and big-noting yourself. That does not work. Members who have been around this place a long time will know that I do not take insults really well. If you insult me you are going to get it back.
One of the things that I do quite regularly, and any examination of my constituent numbers will tell you the truth of this, is assist people in multicultural communities who
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