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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2003 Week 14 Hansard (10 December) . . Page.. 5147 ..

MRS BURKE (continuing):

by some of the things that we do. We have to remember that there are people working at a local level as well.

Australia Day reaches to the heart of what this great nation stands for. It is the national day. How are we to continue to instil in each one of us, and in particular our young, a sense of pride in this country if we forsake community local events and do not support organisations like the Australia Day committee?

I fully support Mr Smyth's motion. It is sensible, compassionate, caring and people focused. The motion states:

That the Legislative Assembly for the ACT:

...

(3) views with great concern the inexplicable decision by the ACT Government not to fund the Australia Day in the National Capital Committee to organise the celebration of Australia Day in 2004;

I agree. We should call on the government to restore funding to Australia Day in the National Capital Committee as a matter of priority so that the ACT can celebrate Australia Day at an appropriate level. It is not too late. This government can do it if it wants to-that is the key. As has already been said-and it is quite silly-let us not have two Christmas trees; let us not have two of anything.

Again, let us not disadvantage people. This has been an awful year for Canberra and this year, of all years, we should be funding such an event. I call on the government to seriously reconsider its decision. I support the motion.

MRS CROSS (6.22): I also support Mr Smyth's motion. Mr Smyth found it necessary to move a motion like this because of political opportunism by this government and, in particular, by the Chief Minister. I was looking at writing something on Mr Smyth's motion, so I referred to the Hansard. I am going to quote an answer to a question put to the Chief Minister by Mr Stefaniak a couple of weeks ago relating to Australia Day. I remember when Mr Stefaniak asked this question. I thought I heard the Chief Minister say that he was almost ashamed to be an Australian. I thought: "No, Helen. You must have got that wrong. Go back and look at the Hansard."And I did. As Australians we need to be debating this matter. Mr Stanhope stated:

It is an interesting view of Australia Day and our Australianness, our loyalty and our nationalism that is put about by some. We all have a different view about these things. We don't all have to go off to a flag-raising ceremony and salute the flag. We don't all have to go off and watch marching bands. We celebrate Australia Day, just as we celebrate all national days, in a variety of ways. I think that 322,000 very proud Australians that live in Canberra will find an appropriate way to celebrate Australia Day.

Many of us will perhaps think with regret about all those aspects of being an Australian today that do not bring us so much joy and pleasure. Many of us will dwell on how unAustralian it is to persist with the refugee policies that we persist with. Many of us will probably think how unAustralian it is that we have a government that will not defend Australians locked up in concentration camps in Cuba. Many of us will dwell on all those aspects of why it is not so much fun being

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