Page 1932 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 6 June 2017
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Better support when it matters
I have said before in this place that every member of this Government is working to make Canberra Australia’s most inclusive city.
To gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and intersex kids at our schools who are discovering who they are, to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our community, to refugees finding a haven from trouble overseas, to families and individuals living in our public housing throughout Canberra and to those people looking for a way back from the justice system, we say: you are part of our community; you belong here.
But we do not just say it. We are backing our values with new investment to deliver better support when it matters.
We are delivering new resources to identify at-risk Canberra kids and to protect them from violent or unsafe home environments. Too many of Canberra’s children and young people are struggling just to stay safe.
This builds on our commitment to keep families safe and it builds on our major investment in tackling family violence that we outlined in last year’s Budget. We are also strengthening that work with the delivery of Canberra’s first Family Safety Hub, providing wraparound services that can reach more Canberrans experiencing family violence.
We are providing more resources for government and community sector organisations to better support and include people with disability. We recognise that the inclusion of people with disability in the Canberra community goes well beyond specialised disability support.
We are also delivering more culturally specific initiatives to improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans, including a new health centre in the inner south to be delivered in partnership with the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service; continued support for the Growing Healthy Families Program, which provides health, early childhood development and parenting services; and seed funding to support new and emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander controlled organisations, boosting this community’s representation and public voice.
And we are supporting new migrants and asylum seekers with more help to find a job, as well as an expanded English language program. It is not enough just to welcome new arrivals; we also need to make sure that they can thrive socially and economically once they are here.
I am personally proud that we are delivering an Office of LGBTIQ Affairs. Gay, lesbian, transgender and intersex Canberrans face continued discrimination and challenges that are unique to this community, and this Government is determined to tackle those challenges wherever we can. We aspire to be the most friendly city for LGBTIQ people in this country, and I know that the vast majority of Canberrans support our efforts in this regard.
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