Page 3601 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 13 September 2017
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within our diverse community. The Canberra Liberals support our community’s right to have their language preserved in our library system, and we encourage the government to put this in place.
The Canberra Liberals also support the construction of a monument in Canberra dedicated to mother languages spoken here in Australia. Such a monument would encourage social cohesion through the shared recognition of language rights held by each individual and member of our community. Much like the Shaheed Minar erected by the Bangladeshi language movement, it would stand as a tribute to the emotions inspired by language and its central position within cultural identity.
In conclusion, as the effects of globalisation become further embedded in our society, we see evidence of growing multilingualism in Canberra. The Canberra Liberals believe the observance of International Mother Language Day underpins the territory’s commitment to an inclusive community. My motion today proposes a variety of ways in which the ACT government can support communities in celebrating their language and their culture. As demonstrated through the language movement in Bangladesh, language evokes considerable sentiment and is at the heart of cultural identity. While the ACT community does communicate in many dialects, we are all one community and we speak with one voice on the importance of mother languages.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Community Services and Social Inclusion, Minister for Disability, Children and Youth, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations) (11.12), by leave: I move the three amendments that have been circulated in my name:
(1) In paragraph (1)(f), omit “the encouragement to learning a language other than English contained in the Government’s ACT Language Policy”, substitute “that the Government’s ACT Languages Policy encourages the learning of a language other than English”.
(2) In paragraph (2)(b), omit “promote”, substitute “promoting”.
(3) In paragraph (2)(c), omit “supporting the construction of”, substitute “exploring options to support the construction of”.
I am pleased to rise today to speak on the topic of mother languages. The languages we use to communicate are the basis of our social connectedness and cohesion in whatever form they may take. Be it in a workplace, school classroom, around the family dinner table or at the bus stop, our unique forms of communication actually serve to unite us. Indeed, in the ACT we speak more than 170 languages in our homes, workplaces and social settings.
The ACT government is committed to preserving and promoting the unique diversity of languages spoken in the territory, and especially those of our nation’s first people. Therefore, today, we reaffirm our pledge that on 21 February each year we will honour and celebrate the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s annual observance of International Mother Language Day.
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