Page 1511 - Week 05 - Friday, 10 May 2019
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innovative jurisdiction where people with big ideas can get the support that they need to realise their dreams. We have grown into a service and employment hub for the wider region, a community now of around 800,000 people.
But despite all of this growth and change we have been able to retain the many distinct bush and rural settings that make Canberra such a unique place to live, work and play. No doubt getting this balance right will continue to be part of the Canberra conversation for many years to come.
As we have grown, we have become a more diverse city. At the time of self-government, around a quarter of the ACT’s population was born overseas. Today that number is over a third. With that, the number of languages other than English spoken at home has nearly doubled. This is most evident through our incredible National Multicultural Festival which, from its official beginnings in the mid-1990s, has grown to be one of Australia’s great annual events, and probably the most popular event in our city’s annual events calendar.
Our commitment as a community to social inclusion extends to all cultures, races, genders, sexualities and ages. Through leadership from this Assembly over these three decades we do not discriminate; instead, we embrace and we celebrate. We are proud of our achievements in making Canberra a place where everyone is welcome, where everyone gets an opportunity and where everyone can make their own contribution to our city’s life.
We have always been a national leader when it comes to civil liberties, women’s rights, the rights of LGBTIQ Australians, health and education outcomes, economic reform, environmental protection, regulatory reform, innovation and responding to climate change. When others have turned inwards or sought to turn back the clock, Canberra has faced the future with optimism and with a sense of possibility.
We are the first jurisdiction in Australia to commit to a 100 per cent renewable electricity target, and we are on track to meet this target by the end of next year. We were the first jurisdiction to introduce pill testing, an important health intervention that can and will save young Canberrans’ lives. We were the first jurisdiction to introduce a bill of rights, with the passage of the ACT Human Rights Act in 2000.
We were the first to recognise same-sex domestic partnerships in 1994 and the first to end sexuality-based discrimination in 2003. Famously, this Assembly legislated for same-sex marriage before any other Australian jurisdiction; and this community returned an emphatic 75 per cent yes vote in the marriage equality survey, cementing Canberra as Australia’s most LGBTIQ friendly city.
We have embraced welcoming and supporting new migrants and people seeking asylum in our country, fleeing circumstances that for many of us are impossible to fathom. All of this has happened over a period when it seems that communities around the world have become more defined by what divides than what connects.
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