Page 1327 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 27 March 2012
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to the Assembly. Let me just be very clear at the outset: this government stands alongside the community sector here in the ACT and certainly stands behind the social compact. Whilst Mrs Dunne has a smirk over there—
Mrs Dunne: It wasn’t a smirk.
MS BURCH: Well, it was a chuckle, it was a snort, I am not quite sure—whatever noises come your way.
The government understands the vital role of the community sector to Canberra and gives recognition to the longstanding and significant contribution it provides to community life. I recall a week or so ago when CSD launched its strategic plan, and there was a deliberate invitation to the community sector. In fact, I still can recognise a number of the community sector leaders within the audience, and that was because this government and the Community Services Directorate value the work the community sector does.
Both the community sector and the government share a long-term vision of an inclusive community that enables people to participate and lead purposeful lives, a community concerned with both the common good as well as the rights and achievements of others. This shared vision is outlined in the ACT social compact, which provides a framework for this relationship by articulating principles of good communication and partnership. Both the ACT government and the community sector are signatories to the social compact and are working collaboratively to refresh the document.
This updated document will reinforce the role of the joint community government reference group as the mechanism by which the government and the non-government sector can discuss this important and ongoing relationship on a regular basis. Further, we are about to relaunch a new website under the talk that talk program, which will include a range of information that underpins this important relationship.
I will just go to the terms of reference of the joint community government reference group, which is a consultative mechanism that provides strategic advice on critical sustainability issues that affect government and non-government agencies in the community sector. The terms of reference of the joint community reference group are to monitor and provide strategic advice to the government on the implementation of the social compact, the key objective and the future directions of building our community in the social plan and the community sector viability issues; maintain linkages and communication with the community inclusion aspects of the Chief Minister’s department; and inform the implementation of those through engagement with stakeholders.
At the moment the current community membership includes the ACT Council of Social Services, Youth Coalition, Mental Health Community Coalition, ACT Shelter, regional community services, Conservation Council of the South East Region and Canberra, healthcare consumers, Council of the Ageing, Volunteering ACT, National Disabilities Services (ACT Division) and the ministerial council of women. That is
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