Page 3410 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 22 October 2014
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Each year in Canberra, the Muslim community enjoys a radio program under the apt management of Diana Abdul-Rahman, whom we have here in the audience—and I thank you for your presence—and Juan de la Torre as well from the Canberra multicultural community. For the month of Ramadan this program, run at a minimal cost, is broadcast on radio and on the internet. Diana organises speakers who promote the very best of Islam: the talks, music and children’s segments. This is a work of love and is being proposed to be promoted across other parts of Australia now. The program is in English and reaches out to Muslims all over the community to stay in touch with their roots. I applaud her work.
Diana said to me that the most satisfying part of the program which she has managed for some years is when people tell her that listening to her program really gave them a sense of identity of being an Australian Muslim and a beautiful part of the religion that they are able to identify with. The program is unfunded and I take this opportunity to recommend that the minister consider some form of contribution to this program next year in order that it gets out to more families, because this is the type of work that we need to see increase: people being able to be ethnically as they are and also 100 per cent Australian.
At the end of Ramadan, Diana and her team of organisers put on the Eid-Al-Fitr festival which is held at EPIC. The festival runs for several days and is open to all people in Canberra. Next year it would be a very good thing if more members of the ACT community were reached and attended the event to show their support for Canberra’s Muslim community. This event used to receive some limited sponsorship from the AFP but at present it is not funded. I also implore the minister to put some funding into it because it is time that the ACT, through its government, has a chance to demonstrate our support and value of this community.
I also take the opportunity to suggest to the minister that the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum has never been funded for more than rent and basic photocopying, to a value of around $12,000 per year. The body which preceded it, the ACT Multicultural Forum, was funded significantly more, to the tune of around $50,000. The work that they do, bringing the best out in our multicultural community, should be very seriously considered at this time for increased support. In particular they may have the capacity to engage with youth in activities which would leave them more practically connected to evolving their Australian Muslim identity, leaving them less susceptible to other influences.
I was very pleased to see that the ACT government recently released capital culture, a discussion paper on multiculturalism in the ACT. It is open for comment until early next year. So I hope that Canberrans will respond to the consultation process enthusiastically.
I also would like to recognise in the gallery Mr Sam Wong, previous chair of the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum, who has, as with Diana and Juan, been involved in supporting the multicultural community for a great number of years in the ACT.
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