Page 472 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
sure that its resources are sufficient and are working very effectively for the people of Canberra.
MR PARTON: Minister, why is your government now saying that responsibility for improving building rests with the buyer and that it is now “a buyer awareness problem”?
MR RAMSAY: I do not know that I have ever used that particular term. What I would say is that we draw to people’s attention, and Access Canberra has drawn to people’s attention, the fact that when investing in any significant asset—obviously a person’s home is not only a financial asset but also an emotional asset—they take the highest quality advice. That is certainly one important part of the work there.
It is not the only part of the work and that is why this government is rolling out a range of areas of improvement in the building industry. In addition, one of the things that we are doing, as I have indicated before, is making sure that people who are building here in the ACT have the requisite knowledge, the requisite expertise and the requisite approach.
That is why we have introduced the class C licence testing and why we are rolling that out to class A and class B licences, so that all builders who are operating here in the ACT are of the highest quality. Part of that is clearly our responsibility. Part of that is clearly the builder’s responsibility. And getting the right advice is clearly part of the owner’s or purchaser’s responsibility.
National Multicultural Festival—feedback
MS ORR: My question is to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. Minister, can you update the Assembly on the Multicultural Festival held over the weekend?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Orr for her question. As the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I am in the privileged position of having witnessed very closely one of this city’s unique and most popular cultural events over the weekend. What I saw at the festival was Canberrans and those from across Australia and around the world proudly displaying their culture to the community. And the Canberra community came out in strength to support them and to celebrate our inclusive city, in very good weather over the three days of the festival.
This unique and important event once again brought together a mix of people and a mix of cultures, cuisines, ideas and experiences from around the world. The strong engagement of Canberra’s multicultural community over the past 23 years continues to make this festival what it is: a community celebration of diversity in a harmonious, friendly atmosphere.
Entertainment was a central part of this year’s festival once again. Christine Anu performed songs in her native language, bringing awareness of First Peoples’ music and culture. Isaiah Firebrace drew thousands of people to see his lively performances on two stages. Our multilingual city was celebrated with a languages showcase for the first time at the festival, featuring poetry and song.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video