Page 842 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 18 March 2015
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Canberra’s social and cultural journey could be traced through a rollcall of the groups who made the centre home. It was participation on a grand scale, mostly for no or low cost. There truly was something for everyone. It was a place where people made connections, learnt new things, shared their talents and felt welcomed. Here was a place that allowed space for an inclusive, connected community to grow.
Today, the new Griffin Centre, across the road from where things began, continues to reflect the diversity of our community through its tenants, who provide support and connection. Other similar hubs now exist throughout the city. So whatever your idea of community means, there is an essential ingredient, and that is the concept of inclusion.
I would like to talk about that concept and the way this government sees how it works for our citizens. An inclusive Canberra allows everyone the freedom to participate and belong in the communities they choose, where all people can reach their potential, make contributions and share in the benefits of an inclusive community.
We want Canberra to be a place where everyone has access to the resources, opportunities and capabilities to learn, to participate in education and training, to work, to participate in employment, unpaid or voluntary work, including family and carer responsibilities, to engage, to connect with people, use local services and participate in local, cultural, civic and recreational activities and to have a voice, to be able to influence decisions that affect them. We are already doing many things well to realise the elements that will bring inclusion for all. However, we know, as each of you would also know, that not everyone in our great city is truly included. There are Canberrans who are pushed to the edges, who are excluded.
I would like to talk now about the key elements that will achieve inclusion and equality. Most of us would agree that having a good start to life is essential to having what is needed to be our best. For most, this means having good health, education, employment, housing and transport. Real inclusion is also about a person feeling part of the community, especially when things go wrong.
The ACT recognised many years ago that parents need support to give their child the best start they can. Part of this is recognising that parenting is not always intuitive and that it is okay to learn about being a parent and what is needed for a child’s development. The ACT’s three child and family centres have been hugely successful in providing a welcoming space where children and their families can drop in to get information and support from professionals.
We now know a lot more about what giving a child a good start means through the ACT’s participation in the Australian early development index. This initiative collects data across Australia to measure key domains of a child’s life to give us an idea of how our children are developing, where extra support is needed and when it is needed. This work has informed, and continues to inform, the development and delivery of programs and supports for vulnerable children and families.
Education has a fundamental role in building an individual’s capacity to overcome barriers so that they are included in the world and can take up opportunities. Education is not only about setting a person on a path for achievement and future
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