Page 157 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 16 February 2011
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in my opening speech, they are missing the point on many parts of the motion that I had.
So what I have done is prepare amendments to put into Mr Doszpot’s amendment those elements which I felt to be critical of my own. I formally move those amendments circulated in my name.
MR SPEAKER: Mr Hargreaves, you will need leave to move them as a group.
MR HARGREAVES: I seek leave to move these amendments circulated in my name.
Leave granted.
MR HARGREAVES: I move:
(1) In paragraph (1) (a), omit the words “mutual respect and understanding in our community”, substitute “harmony and respect within the ACT’s many different cultural, religious and ethnic communities”.
(2) In paragraph (2)(a), insert the words “continue to” before “consult”.
(3) In paragraph (2)(b), insert the words “continue to” before “foster”.
(4) Omit paragraph (2)(c).
I will very quickly talk to them. Some editorial treatment on paragraph 1(a) may very well be needed because I may have inadvertently taken out the word “promoting”. I would like to have it reinserted, if it makes sense. So with members’ leave, I would ask that the Clerk actually advise the Speaker on the proper editorial treatment so that it makes sense. And I thank members for that concurrence. I take the flickering of eyelids and the nodding of heads as assent. So thank you very much for that.
I wanted to put in there specifically the phrase “the ACT’s many different cultural, religious and ethnic communities”. I wanted to have it deliberately put in there because cultural strife has its roots quite often in religious strife. We are seeing it happen around the country and we are seeing it happen around the world, and I think we need those words in there.
I believe I have demonstrated to you that we have been consulting, we have been promoting and we have been fostering, and I have given you multiple examples of how that has gone on over the last six years or more. So I would seek members’ agreement to include the words “continue to”, because the implicit suggestion is that we have not being doing it. And that is just plain not true.
There have been two summits, 16 sessions, a multicultural youth summit and something like 40-odd—I think it was 47 or something like that—individual sessions with individual community groups, one on one with me as the minister. That constitutes fostering and constitutes the consultation process. I believe that consultation process was brilliant.
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