Page 85 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 2019
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ensure that language education in our schools is a fundamental part of our education and our community. Our future generation deserves nothing less.
MS STEPHEN-SMITH (Kurrajong—Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Disability, Minister for Children, Youth and Families, Minister for Employment and Workplace Safety, Minister for Government Services and Procurement, Minister for Urban Renewal) (4.10): I thank Mrs Kikkert for bringing forward this matter of public importance today. As we have all noted, it is a timely discussion about the importance of multiculturalism in Canberra, with the National Multicultural Festival setting up outside the Assembly doors.
I think we can all agree that supporting Canberra’s multicultural community is very important. I have spoken about the richness and diversity of our community many times over the last couple of years. I am proud, as I am sure we all are, to say that Canberra is one of the most inclusive cities in Australia.
A privilege afforded to members of the Legislative Assembly is the opportunity to engage with many different cultural groups across Canberra. Of course, it is a particular privilege for ministers and shadow ministers in the multicultural affairs portfolio. I feel very honoured to have held that portfolio prior to Mr Steel. Every event or discussion is an opportunity to meet people of different backgrounds, beliefs and experiences, a constant and welcome reminder of how rich and diverse our city is. Canberra is strengthened by our multicultural community. Our diversity presents great social, cultural and economic benefits and opportunities.
Of course, our appreciation of different cultures will be on full display this weekend, when we expect more than 200,000 people to visit the National Multicultural Festival. It is an opportunity for people to appreciate, share and learn from different cultures and traditions right here in the heart of Canberra.
Promoting and maintaining a strong, harmonious and multicultural Canberra requires government, communities and businesses all to work together. The ACT government works closely with a number of community organisations and individuals to achieve this. In 2017, as Mr Steel noted, we established the ACT Multicultural Advisory Council. The council provides a platform for Canberra’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities to express their views, have their issues heard and actively participate in consultation on matters that affect their lives and their communities.
The council continues to advocate for the needs and concerns of culturally diverse communities and ensures that the experiences and circumstances of these communities are reflected in advice to government. In 2018 the ACT government, in partnership with the council, hosted the ACT multicultural summit. Community stakeholders met to identify and discuss a range of issues and outcomes affecting Canberra’s multicultural community. I was very pleased that Minister Steel invited me to help open the summit. I record my thanks to him for this. It was a great day and I wish we could have stayed longer.
A key role of the Multicultural Advisory Council is also to support the implementation of the ACT multicultural framework 2015-20. The framework
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