Page 26 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 7 December 2004
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
gives every member of the community the opportunity to participate and to achieve their potential. I see the opportunity to do this through this Labor government. I will work strenuously as a member of this Assembly to achieve positive outcomes in all of these areas.
I have lately, since the late 1990s, developed a great interest in the concepts surrounding restorative justice and what can be achieved from its practice. I am pleased to be able to say that the Chief Minister is similarly encouraged by what he believes restorative justice can achieve and has already achieved. I feel fortunate to have been able to visit and examine the restorative justice unit of the Thames Valley Police in the United Kingdom at the instigation of its founder, Sir Charles Pollard, who gave so generously of his time and resources to demonstrate the success of that program.
The ACT government is committed to the introduction of restorative justice principles in the establishment and running of the ACT prison. Restorative justice already operates in some ACT public schools, and I believe many other schools are interested in its application, particularly in its application in addressing bullying. In other jurisdictions it is applied in assisting dysfunctional families and community relationships, and in solving organisational conflict. I will work in the Assembly to achieve its application across as much of our justice and community practice as possible.
As I said at the outset, I am proud to be able to stand in this place and address this Assembly today, standing beside my colleagues in the Labor government and under the leadership of our Chief Minister. I want to thank the people of Ginninderra for the confidence that they have shown in me; I undertake to represent them in the Assembly to the best of my ability. Canberra has a great future ahead of it under the Stanhope Labor government and I am proud to be part of that future.
MR SPEAKER: Members, I acknowledge the presence in the gallery of Senator Bob Brown and Senator Kerry Nettle.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo): I ask for leave of the Assembly to make my inaugural speech.
Leave granted.
DR FOSKEY: Fellow members of the Legislative Assembly, I first acknowledge that we are on Ngunnawal land and pay my respects to the elders, recognising their continuing custodianship of this land. I believe that I have already expressed my thanks to friends, members of the Greens, the campaign team and supporters and voters in earlier presentations. Today I want to recognise the role of the women in my life.
First of all, I wish to acknowledge the ongoing support of my daughters, Samara and Eleni. In particular I want to acknowledge Eleni, who insists that my role as a member may not usurp my duties as her mother, thus ensuring that there is balance in my life. I would also like to acknowledge my mother, who constantly warned me against going into politics because she had been taught that women should not stand up or stand out. Nonetheless, I believe that she would change her mind if she could see me here today.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .