Page 3241 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 21 August 2019
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many residents identifying with the land and culture of their ancestors simultaneously with their Australian identity. It is a multicultural presence that makes us richer as a community, with all the diversity that it brings. This means that Gungahlin is indeed an appropriate region to consider when thinking of the development of facilities that will host multicultural events.
It is my understanding that the type of facility that is being considered is one where large cultural celebrations, banquets or weddings can be held. And certainly in the conversations I have had with people in the community over the past handful of years this has been as issue that has been raised with me as well and a recognition that some events just get very large numbers of people and do not fit into existing venues—venues that will hold at least 400 to 500 people, with a commercial kitchen and a perhaps a theatre.
Canberrans are already fortunate to be able to participate in a number of multicultural events across the city. Of course there has been discussion today of the Multicultural Festival in Civic, and that has been spoken about many times in this place before. Every Chinese New Year we see Dickson come alive. We are also home to many embassies, all of which celebrate their own significant cultural dates and many of which involve celebrating by inviting members of the local community to come and join in. We are certainly very fortunate in that respect in that we get those opportunities in a way that other Australian cities do not, by dint of having the embassies here.
The second action plan of the ACT multicultural framework 2015-2020 has a strategic objective to enhance citizenship, participation and social inclusion. It states that this will be achieved in part by a shared commitment amongst all members of the ACTÂ community to strengthen our cultural capacity and promote cultural diversity and inclusion and by ensuring that the ACT multicultural community are recognised in the ACT wellbeing index. The third objective of the framework is to capitalise on the benefits of our cultural diversity and ensure that the legacy and contribution of established multicultural communities are acknowledged and valued.
The establishment of a new or revitalised multicultural facility is not mentioned specifically in the framework but I think that undertaking a feasibility exercise to scope for a large-scale venue that would be appropriate for hosting large or significant cultural events would be a part of achieving the objectives I have just described and facilitating a range of activities that both the communities themselves but no doubt the rest of Canberra would enjoy as well.
This motion combines addressing both the needs of the multicultural community and the future of EPIC. They are not necessarily mutually exclusive objectives, which is certainly why we requested some amendments to the motion. For the sake of the multicultural community, it is important that there is a venue suitable for large, culturally significant events such as Eid, marking the end of Ramadan, or Diwali, or the many other important festivals that occur each year and that it also includes the potential for private events such as large weddings or banquets. All members will have been invited to significant events over the years that cover a broad spectrum along the lines I have just described.
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