Page 2663 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 11 August 2015
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theme through the community services portfolio and elsewhere, particularly through the budget, which included the first social inclusion and equality budget statement. This statement details the government’s continued investment in Canberra as a community for all—for women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, multicultural communities, and families in need.
Stronger action to combat domestic and family violence has been a particular focus for this year, with a generally bipartisan and constructive approach. As part of our response, the government provides up to $8 million per annum for a range of services and programs specifically targeted at women experiencing violence or women who are homeless. In the 2015 budget, additional funding of $250,000 will expand the capacity of the Canberra Rape Crisis Centre, the Domestic Violence Crisis Centre and the Canberra Men’s Centre to support victims with crucial services. In addition, these services are receiving a one-off 10 per cent increase in funding to meet the current spike in demand for their services.
We know that one of the keys to raising awareness about family and domestic violence is to start talking about it at a young age. Through the ACT education department and the minister for education,\ we are helping ACT public schools to provide emotional learning for our kids, through the $615,000 investment in the teaching of respectful relationships.
The government is also continuing to invest in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs. Earlier this year, we finalised the overarching framework to help guide initiatives across this portfolio. I refer to Mr Andrew Wall’s comments earlier tonight about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement. It comes to my mind that the Canberra Liberals pretend to care about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in the ACT, but if they really cared and if Mr Wall really cared, they would have been present at the signing of the agreement. Mr Wall was not. In fact, none of the Canberra Liberals was present at the signing of the agreement. The ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agreement sets out the shared commitment of the government and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body to provide effective and culturally sensitive services and policies for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.
Across the government there are initiatives in this budget that build on the areas of focus in the agreement, including more than $3.6 million in continuous support for peak community bodies, including Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service and the Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation; more than $1.2 million in employment and economic initiatives to increase employment and private enterprise for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans, such as the ACT public service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traineeship and graduate programs, enrolled nursing scholarships, and funding support for the Canberra Business Yarning Circle, Indigenous business of the year award and supply nation; and more than $1.26 million to expand the growing healthy families program at Gungahlin, west Belconnen and Tuggeranong child and family centres.
We also recognise and embrace the great diversity of culture in Canberra today. Canberra has been long recognised for its harmonious, diverse and vibrant
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