Page 3998 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 15 Sept 2009
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We see evidence of this every day. Rather than a unified team of passionate politicians, what we see is a group of factional hacks who are controlled by the left or the right. The way that decisions are made in the Labor caucus is becoming abundantly apparent. The right is controlling the numbers. The decisions are made behind closed doors by factions and then imposed on the Labor Party. If the people of the ACT fully understood the way the ACT Labor Party is working here, they would be extremely disappointed.
Girl Guides
MR COE (Ginninderra) (4.28): I rise this afternoon to commend the Girl Guides in the lead-up to their centenary year in 2010. I will pay particular credit to the fine work done in and around Canberra throughout the ACT and south-east region. As the shadow minister for youth and as a member for Ginninderra in this place, I would like to recognise the great contribution guiding has had in the lives of so many people in Canberra, Australia and throughout the world.
When a person joins the guides, they join an international movement of 10 million girls and young women in 145 countries around the globe as part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. The mission statement of the guides is:
Enabling girls and young women to grow into confident, self-respecting, responsible community members.
Guides have regular meetings, undertake work and challenges, play games, earn badges and run their own activities. I join the federal shadow youth minister, Mrs Sophie Mirabella MP, in welcoming 2010 as the Year of the Girl Guide. This is appropriate recognition for a movement that has been integral in the lives of so many Australians since soon after Federation.
Next year, 2010, marks 100 years of the guides, and there are many events in store next year that will rightly celebrate all that is great about the guiding movement. The highlight will be the Australian centenary event, the ACE 2010 Jamboree from 3 to 9 January 2010 in Victoria. Other significant events that will take place include world thinking day, international women’s day, clean up Australia day, harmony day, Anzac Day, centenary guide biscuit campaign, world environment day, campfires around Australia, national tree day and flying the world flag. The year will be commemorated with a limited edition postage stamp and a specially minted $1 coin from the Royal Australian Mint.
Last Sunday, 13 September, I had the privilege of attending the presentation day of the ACT and south-east region. Perhaps not surprisingly, my knowledge of the organisation is somewhat limited so I enjoyed hearing more about the great work of Girl Guides Australia. It was definitely the first time I have ever sung Sisters in Guiding. Thirty guides from the region were recognised as winning a Junior B-P—Baden-Powell—or Queen’s Guide award.
I would like to make special mention of Ayla Caddey from the 3rd Goulburn Rangers and Tegan McAnulty from the Ginninderra Senior Guides for being awarded the Queen’s Guide award on Sunday.
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