Page 1006 - Week 03 - Thursday, 21 March 2019
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Following these initiatives, I am pleased to announce that Canberra has been invited to join the Welcoming Cities network. Launched in early 2016, Welcoming Cities is a growing network of cities, shires, towns and municipalities across the nation committed to making it possible for people of all backgrounds to feel valued and to fully participate in the social, civic and economic life of our nation. The Welcoming Cities network is part of a growing international movement in more than 135 municipalities across New Zealand, the Americas and Europe. Members of the Welcoming Cities network include community organisations, businesses and governments.
Canberra’s membership of the network aligns with our commitment to build an inclusive city where everyone is valued and welcomed. Becoming a member of the Welcoming Cities network capitalises on our cultural diversity. Membership of the network will allow knowledge sharing and access to evidence-based research, resources, policies and case studies across network members. It will allow for the benchmarking of our cultural diversity and inclusion policies and practices. It will identify where and how further efforts should be directed. It will allow assessment of our progress over time and it will allow the celebration of successes and recognition of achievements that demonstrate leading practice and innovation in welcoming efforts.
A welcoming city fosters a culture and a policy environment that makes it possible for everyone to feel valued and to fully participate in social, civic and economic life. Our membership of the Welcoming Cities network will strengthen our ongoing commitment to achieving this outcome for all Canberrans. I encourage everyone in the Assembly to support this motion this afternoon. I thank members in advance for their support.
MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (4.41): I thank Minister Barr for putting forward this motion today, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which we talked about earlier today in the MPI debate.
All people, regardless of their ethnicity, culture, religion, language or place of birth have equal rights in our society. Our diversity is a source of our strength and a key part of what makes the ACT such a great and vibrant place to live. This day is an appropriate day for us to be demonstrating our willingness to be a city where everyone can belong and participate in social, cultural, economic and civic life. Canberra will be joining a growing international movement of more than 135 municipalities in New Zealand, New York, London, Glasgow, Frankfurt, Adelaide, San Francisco and, importantly, Christchurch, that work proactively to ensure their localities are open and welcoming to new migrants and people from a range of cultures.
Supporting local governments to advance communities where everyone can belong and participate in social, cultural, economic and civic life is a notion that we should all support. I cannot see any reason not to, particularly given the focus of the massacres in Christchurch nearly a week ago. Now more than ever we need to be mindful of difference. We need to be grateful for that difference too. We need not to
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