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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 02 Hansard (Wednesday, 3 March 2004) . . Page.. 618 ..

Underpinning each priority is a set of goals, essentially medium-term commitments and actions—commitments to be achieved from now and for the next five years. These actions are crucial because they give us a kick-start to achieving our longer term social plan priorities.

There is so much in the social plan that it is hard to know where to start but, of course, as always we must start with children. The social plan includes a package of measures to help our children and young people grow up in a healthy, safe and well balanced environment, with:

• increased support for child protection;

• measures to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity, physical and mental health and drug abuse;

• universal hearing screening for newborn children;

• better health for indigenous people through an ear health program for infants and children, expanded midwifery access, and an increase in indigenous early childhood and family support.

Of course, midwifery access is something that the health committee of this Assembly is looking into. I am quite sure that the expansion of that program will be informed by the committee’s report when it comes out. I know that the minister said as much recently when he appeared before the committee.

We are also establishing two child and family centres. These will be established in Gungahlin and Tuggeranong and will provide local services, with a focus on support and early intervention, including health, education, parenting and family support services. The child and family centres will replicate the successful integrated service model at the Lyons Bushfire Recovery Centre. We are essentially talking about drawing many key social services under one roof. It will be akin to a Canberra Connect shopfront for family and community service delivery.

Mr Speaker, we also have measures to build a stronger, more cohesive relationship between the ACT government and the Canberra community, renew community infrastructure and facilities, reform community sector funding and help community network-building at the grassroots level.

We are reviewing the effectiveness and coverage of the many concessions we offer to low income earners. As a first step, we will introduce a new concession for households connected to gas; ensure that ACT residents on low incomes are not disadvantaged by energy, water and gas prices; and for households receiving energy concessions we will offer advice on how to improve their energy efficiency.

We are also establishing a community inclusion board to be chaired, as I have already said, by well-known social researcher and commentator, Hugh Mackay. It is a tribute to the depth of this government’s commitment to social equity that a person with such a profile as Hugh Mackay wants to be part of it.

The community inclusion board will be a direct source of high level and independent advice to the government on our social priorities. The Stanhope Labor government

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