Page 3095 - Week 08 - Thursday, 16 August 2018
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package, and new budget commitments over the past few years. In addition the committee acknowledges the considerable work of ACT services working with families with children under the age of three years, as well as the considerable challenges professionals and families face day to day.
Section 727T(4) of the Children and Young People Act 2008 states that the minister must give information to the committee about any action that has been taken or will be taken in relation to the matters raised in the report within three months. The government will consider this report and make a formal response to all of its recommendations within this time frame.
The death of any child or young person is devastating, and I would like to take this opportunity to extend my condolences to all families and friends affected by the death of a child or young person.
I commend the ACT Children and Young People Death Review Committee report Changing the narrative for vulnerable children: strengthening ACT systems to the Assembly and thank the committee for their work over the past year.
Remonstrance—democratic rights of citizens of the ACT
Debate resumed.
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (3.36): I rise briefly today to show my support for the Chief Minister’s motion. Before I get to the substance of what I want to talk about, I want to share a similar experience to the one you mentioned earlier, Mr Assistant Speaker Steel.
I remember a day when I was out doorknocking in Ngunnawal, of all places. It was a sunny, warm day. I turned down a little cul-de-sac and knocked on the first door of the street. As everyone in this place would know, when you are knocking on doors, if you do not hear anything for a few moments after knocking on a door, you probably turn on your heel and start to walk down the driveway. When I was halfway down the driveway, someone got to the door. I turned back and went in to speak to them. It was a sunny, warm day but they had their heater on. I could feel the heat radiating from their house.
I started talking to them, giving the normal spiel. “What issues matter to you?” I got a very blunt answer back: “I don’t care.” Of course, as an optimistic, happy-go-lucky candidate, you go, “Surely there is something you care about.” He said, “I am dying.” It is a tough conversation to have. You do not know exactly what you are meant to say. You know in that moment that you cannot say or do anything to make it any better. You are probably not going to make their day better by talking about your wonderful wares as a candidate.
He ventured into what was ailing him. He did not have long to live. The one thing he was concerned about was how he was going to go out of this world. He was not sure at that point how bad things were going to get, but he knew he only had a short
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