Page 2250 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2016
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
experienced severe acts of violence. In Indonesia the majority of Muslims believe the Amadea should be banned, in 2008 a law was passed to prevent them proselytising, and in 2011 a mosque was burned and six Amadeas were killed for their faith. In Pakistan where the largest population of Amadeas live, the state has declared that they are non-Muslims. This persecution and violence is relatively commonplace for Amadeas in Pakistan, and in 2010, 86 Amadeas were killed while attending a Friday service.
Here in Canberra, where the Amadeas should feel welcome, their treatment by the ACT Labor government has been far from welcoming. The Amadeas first applied for community land over six years ago in November 2014. They were finally offered a block of land in Rivett. The block was not really suitable as it was approximately 2,500 square metres. This block was offered to the Amadeas without any consultation with local residents or the broader Rivett community, who were surprised by the announcement that it was coming.
There was no thought put into how building a new community facility like this would impact on the parking in the area. The establishment of a facility for a community that has over 120 members would have a significant impact on parking at Rivett shops where only 56 car parking spaces and one disabled car parking space service all the other community facilities of an aged-care residence with 15 full-time residents and up to 15 day patients, a church with over 150 members, a SPAR grocery store, a post office, a baker, a hairdresser and a remedial massage business. Parking would have become a nightmare.
After the government was caught out not consulting with the residents about this new facility, they backflipped on offering the block of land and offered the Amadeas a block at commercial rates in Hume. Although the block was around 5,000 metres square, its location meant that it could not be easily reached by public transport, and the commercial price of $750,000 for this option was also taken off the table.
So after being offered two blocks previously now the Amadeas have been offered a block of land in Narrabundah. The block of land is about 4,800 metres square. However, it requires some remediation and the installation of extensive driveways, which has been an estimated at a cost of around $450,000.
So the government offered land initially without consultation with the community and without assessing the suitability of the community facility within the suburb. Then the government offered a block of land that is about 10 times the price of community land and not easily accessible by public transport, and then it withdrew the offer. Finally, a block of land has been offered to the Amadeas for which they have agreed to pay for the remediation and installation of driveways however they have been told by the government that the decision is still pending and will not be made until after the election.
The government has shown a complete lack of respect for this community group and their desire to establish a cultural home. The government has conducted no community consultation with residents in Rivett, with businesses at Hume and now residents in Narrabundah. Again, we see the government showing lack of respect for
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video