Page 3412 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 22 October 2014
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those who came here in the 1940s and 1950s but more to highlight how far we as a country have come in embracing a more colour-blind society and as a place-marker for the future when we can see the vestiges of this particular type of institutionalised racism disappear.
As Mrs Jones references, the most recent ABS data provided a fascinating snapshot of our society’s makeup. I will not repeat Mrs Jones’s motion’s analysis of the ACT-specific data but it is enlightening to see so many groups represented—and it is very positive for our city—and the amazing number of languages and dialects spoken here in the territory.
As some members may be aware, a small but very important item in the parliamentary agreement related to providing funding to support an extra 10 qualified interpreters in the community, focusing on languages or dialects in need. The feedback I have had is that this program has been very welcomed by the affected communities. It is the ACT Greens’ belief that the cultural and linguistic diversity in the ACT population greatly enriches our community and should not just be accepted but also celebrated and encouraged. We also know that many of the people captured in the ABS data may also be recently arrived refugees, fleeing persecution and war and seeking safety for themselves and their families in a new country.
I did also want to reflect on the fact that—and a few comments have been made to this effect this morning—we have discussed these sorts of matters in the Assembly before and I think that there is a cross-party track record in the ACT of great enthusiasm for multiculturalism in our city and a strong propensity for embracing the many newcomers to our city, no matter where they come from. I think the ACT government has displayed these qualities by welcoming and supporting refugees and newly arrived people to our community. I believe that we have all benefited from the differing skills and cultures that have been brought here, and we should be proud of our community’s response to the human needs presented.
Certainly in my time as Speaker of this place—and I know, Madam Speaker, you have continued this tradition, which in fact I picked up from former Speaker Berry, of having the new citizenship evenings here at the Assembly, and I know many members have attended those events over the years—I saw, in those events, a tremendous appreciation of the invitation of the Assembly but also a great opportunity for people to come together and speak about their history, where they came from. I certainly always enjoyed those evenings, meeting people who had come from a very diverse set of backgrounds. I think it is just one small example of the ACT Assembly embracing newcomers to our community in a very overt and, I hope and believe, appreciated way. Certainly the feedback was always very strong and positive about that evening.
I think Mrs Jones’s motion is also timely in regard to the national conversations regarding religious extremism and fear of terror attacks. We are not immune to either the risks posed or the potential breakdown of the respect, tolerance and understanding that we should all cherish. This is a time of great need, a need to build stronger relationships, not damage existing ones, and a need to further enhance and shore up our faith in the basic goodness of humanity.
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