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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 01 Hansard (Wednesday, 11 February 2004) . . Page.. 208 ..

training and lifelong learning; to provide housing for a future Canberra; and to respect and protect the environment.

We have quite deliberately prepared the delivery and development of the social plan in a layered way so that under each priority there are a set of goals—essential, medium-term commitments and actions that we intend to complete at least within the next five years. A number of those actions we grouped under what we titled, for want of a better description, flagship commitments, highlighting the essence of the government’s vision for the social development of the ACT. Those flagship commitments go to caring for our children and young people, a package of measures to help our children and young people grow up in a healthy, safe and well-balanced environment. Whist the social plan addresses the needs of all Canberrans, the government makes no apology for the fact that the needs of our children and young people are at the top of the list. Those early commitments that we intend to pursue are increased support for child protection now and into the future; measures to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity, physical and mental health and drug abuse; universal hearing screening for new-born children and better health for indigenous people.

The second is child and family centres, and it was with great pleasure that I announced that the government will establish two child and family centres—one in Gungahlin and one in Tuggeranong. The third of those major commitments is building a stronger community, the essence of which is to build a stronger, more cohesive set of relationships between the government and the Canberra community. The government has also committed to dealing with concerns in relation to energy, water and sewage concessions. We will provide amongst that a new concession for those households connected to gas. The fifth of the commitments that we will move on immediately is the establishment of a community inclusion board and a community inclusion fund. The board will be based on the very successful South Australian model and will comprise nine members. It was with particular pleasure that I approached social commentator Hugh Mackay, who has agreed to chair the board. That is a particularly significant appointment in the context of our determination to seek to address a range of issues that goes to ensuring that this is a truly inclusive community. That board will administer a community inclusion fund. A community inclusion fund will allow us to target and ensure that we meet the gaps in poverty and exclusion issues, and shows a genuine determination to address disability.

Underpinning all this is a number of targets that we were pleased to set. They are demanding targets. I think it is the first time in Australia a government has been prepared to set targets such as reducing the level of long-term unemployment from 17 per cent to 12.5 per cent, decreasing income inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient from 0.26 to 0.25—a very significant move. There are a number of other targets in relation to homelessness and education.

MS MacDONALD: I ask the Chief Minister a supplementary question. What has been the reaction to the launch of the social plan?

MR STANHOPE: The reaction from within and beyond the community has been invariably positive—positive from every quarter and from every sector represented in the ACT. There was only one rather dull or discordant note. As one would have expected, that was from the Leader of the Opposition. With the comments that the Leader of the

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