Page 443 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 20 February 2018
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remain committed to supporting refugees who have lost their homes, loved ones and livelihoods and yet remain hopeful and show great courage in seeking new opportunities, new communities and new foundations on which to rebuild their lives and those of their families.
With a large proportion of the Canberra community celebrating the Multicultural Festival at the end of last week, now is an ideal time to recognise and celebrate migrants and refugees in our community and to recognise their contributions, be it through sporting teams, volunteering or local business. According to the UN, migrant workers account for 4.4 per cent of all workers and have higher labour force participation rates than non-migrants globally—73 per cent versus 64 per cent. In Australia in 2016 the OECD estimated that labour force participation was higher for both migrants and those people born here—74.7 per cent and 78.3 per cent respectively.
The ACT Greens have shown unwavering support for multiculturalism and for culturally and linguistically diverse groups. We support diversity and tolerance in the ACT community. As part of our election platform in 2016 we committed to maximising the contribution of culturally and linguistically diverse communities to the ACT government processes. In delivering on this commitment we were pleased to secure a commitment to form a new multicultural advisory board and convene a multicultural summit in the ACT as part of our parliamentary agreement. Last year the membership of the multicultural advisory board was announced, and I look forward to hearing more plans for an upcoming multicultural summit in the near future.
While, for us in the ACT, migrants unquestionably outnumber the original custodians of this land, the land of the Ngunnawal people, it is beholden on us not to lose sight of the importance of upholding social justice for all those who are vulnerable in our community. And I recognise that more also needs to be done to promote inclusion, access and engagement for vulnerable groups within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in our society. One of the key aspirations of the Greens is that we respect and preserve our world’s finite natural resources, and it is only fair that it is shared and maintained equitably no matter where a person happens to be born.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
The Assembly adjourned at 5.32 pm.
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