Page 5218 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 29 November 2017
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ACT has received national recognition—you just have to wonder where their real interests lie. I do not expect bouquets, and I am sure my colleagues on these benches do not either. But I cannot help wishing that members opposite were capable of demonstrating some interest in the success of our public sector agencies and their community partners.
Mr Milligan talked about the interests and outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I do not have time to respond in detail, but I note that I will be delivering a ministerial statement tomorrow that will address some of the issues Mr Milligan raised. As always, I welcome his interest in the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Canberrans, but, again, it would be nice if he could recognise that the community does have incredible strengths, and that is what we want to celebrate and build on.
On something more closely related to the topic I actually rise to speak on, I would also quickly take the opportunity to refute Mrs Kikkert’s absurd claim that the ACT government has said that it has no programs to support young people into employment. It is quite the opposite, in fact. Mrs Kikkert has received a response to a question on notice on this matter that runs to a number of pages.
Education is a key part of that, Madam Assistant Speaker, from schools to CIT, our outstanding public universities and the Australian Catholic University, which provides fantastic education and training in a number of areas that support our social services. And of course, research in my own portfolio of child protection is a critical part of our evidence-based policy development.
While Canberra may lack the ivy covered sandstone universities seen in older cities in Australia, our higher education sector punches well above its weight for a city our size. Mr Pettersson’s motion mentions the MOU with the University of New South Wales regarding a possible new campus in Reid. UNSW is, of course, a university with an established presence in the ACT already. In May I had the privilege of touring UNSW Canberra and talking with them about their cybersecurity and space science initiatives, among other things.
In this city, as in so many others, space science and a strong higher education sector are inextricably linked. The unmatched expertise of our universities underpinned the delegation to the 2017 International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, which is also highlighted in Mr Pettersson’s motion. Members who have not worked in this space—excuse the pun—may not realise what a big deal the IAC is, but it really is the premier international event in the space industry. The fact that Canberra was able to send a delegation of such depth and strength is a real testament to the capability of our city.
While I was at UNSW Canberra I had the chance to see a small and rather fragile looking contraption that I was told would be heading into space shortly. This week I was thrilled to see on Twitter that the Buccaneer cube is now in space, all because of the incredible work being done right here in Canberra. Thanks to the work of this government, Canberra is better placed than any other state or territory to be the centre of Australia’s burgeoning space industry. And we are not slowing down. Just this week the first national space mission design facility was opened at UNSW Canberra
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