Page 1007 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
are community groups, music and theatre and other arts groups, environment groups and friends of our grasslands and nature reserves, disability support and advocacy groups, Indigenous groups and church groups, and so many more that simply there is not time to list.
We are people with diverse interests and skills, but with a shared motivation of contributing to a Canberra that is socially just, culturally interesting and environmentally sustainable. Collectively, the volunteer effort put into the development of our city is impossible to measure, but as we acknowledge the prominent moments in our history, we should also acknowledge the smaller, less obvious moments that have come about because of the efforts of thousands of Canberrans every year.
People have come to this city from all over the world, bringing with them rich and diverse cultural histories that contribute to the development and evolution of Canberra over the years. The 2011 census showed that close to 30 per cent of Canberra's population were born overseas. In the 1950s and 60s Canberra had a big wave of post-war migrants from Europe: Germans, Italians, Greeks, and the Balkan states.
The close proximity of the Snowy hydro scheme also brought to us highly skilled European workers who migrated to work on the massive project and then moved to Canberra when that project finished. Perhaps the largest notable wave of non-British migrants to Canberra is the Greeks, who were an integral part of establishing our now flourishing commercial centres. There are many third generation Canberrans of Greek origin who now who run the same supermarkets, cafes and shopping centres as their grandparents did.
Since then, we have been the new home for Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s and Lebanese refugees in the 1980s. We continue to be a city that welcomes refugees from countries around the world, including Kosovo, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. The cultural diversity that these people have brought to our city is something that we treasure, as they help us build a more interesting and tolerant society.
Canberra is also unique in that we are home to the Australian diplomatic community, who have made numerous significant contributions to the development of the city’s culture, bringing, among other things, wonderful cultural events and inspiring speakers from around the world. They add to the sense that Canberra is a city that is connected to the world.
Looking back we can see milestones of achievement and see how far we have come. But the development of Canberra is a journey that is far from over. In 1914 we saw the construction of the first railway line between Kingston and Queanbeyan, our very good neighbours who also this year are celebrating with their 175th birthday. In 2014 we will hopefully see the start of construction on the new light rail project from Civic to Gungahlin. I would like to think that by 2113 we will have an entire network of light rail covering Canberra from one end to the other—fast, efficient, clean and setting us well as a city to get around.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video