Legislative assembly for the australian capital territory
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AdjournmentMotion (by Ms Burch) proposed: That the Assembly do now adjourn. Sport—racismMS BERRY (Ginninderra—Minister for Housing, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Minister for Community Services, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Women and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Social Inclusion and Equality) (5.21): I would like to make some comments on the national debate that has occurred around the treatment of Adam Goodes. Obviously, the news that he has felt the love of his fans and is back in training with the Swans and likely to take to the field this weekend was great to read. I was one of probably thousands of people who sent a supporting message to Adam last week, and no doubt the groundswell of public support has helped him make this decision. It was moving to see how strongly the AFL and much of the broader community rallied behind him over the weekend. Let us hope that this episode of racist behaviour is now over. But even with that being so, this conversation has come so far that it exposes some of the darker feelings and some of the fears which run through parts of the Australian community. It has, very sadly, shown some of the limits of our understanding and our empathy. It has questioned our self-confidence and our willingness to truly open ourselves up to strong and equal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in Australia today and therefore to true reconciliation. Perhaps most of all, it has reminded us non-Indigenous people how we fail to grasp the magnitude of the intergenerational pain which affects so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. It is not confined to the old, the poor or the remote. The legacy of discrimination and dispossession lives on among all ages and classes, and it will do so among children yet to be born. Recent history is paved with governments wanting to reduce the inequality and injustice which persist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians—and making too little progress, time after time. Where gains have been made, they have often rested on the leadership of prominent Aboriginal people, using their standing to reach out to others in the community to offer support or mentorship and inspire pride and confidence. Last year Adam Goodes was honoured as Australian of the Year because of his exceptional record in doing these things, yet somehow we have recently got to the point where he has been booed and jeered on the football field in a systematic way. This has been amplified through some media commentators eager to pass judgement and, of course, the open slather of social media. People have been at pains to argue that, far from being racial, the booing is personal, as if this is somehow more defensible, as if to attack someone for the way they express their cultural identity can be separated from the culture that they are expressing. Whatever the motivations, the impact of this behaviour is clear, not just on Adam Goodes himself but on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country who feel the sting of racist attitudes in Australia today. I will endeavour not to speak on anyone else’s behalf, tell people how they should feel or claim to understand what I cannot—as so many non-Indigenous people have presumed to do. Instead I have looked to the comments of those who can understand—Warren Mundine, Nova Peris, Michael O’Loughlin, Stan Grant, Michael Long and others. Their experiences point to the fact that history is repeating. A section of the football community has been put out of its comfort zone by a proud Aboriginal man willing to be outspoken about his culture and has reacted against it. For the media commentators so keen to write this off as trivial, I suggest that they are the most threatened by this kind of statement. It is okay for us to be put out of our comfort zone sometimes. It is inevitable. There are many uncomfortable truths in the history of black and white Australia, but we have to learn to acknowledge this reality if reconciliation stands a chance—not react against it, especially not through boos while standing faceless in a crowd. As we try to progress a national conversation towards an agreed way to recognise the first Australians in the constitution, we have got to do a whole lot better. Real social progress tends not to be made unless advocates are willing to risk making others feel uncomfortable. I pay tribute to Adam Goodes and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who are prepared to do so. It is leaders like him who are some of our country’s greatest assets in the cause of reconciliation if only we are willing to embrace them. ACT Telstra business awardsMR WALL (Brindabella) (5.26): On Friday, 17 July I had the pleasure of attending the 2015 ACT Telstra business awards along with a strong contingency of local businesses up for awards on the night. We were joined with alumni of the ACT business awards, with winners of previous years. I would like to commend all the businesses nominated in each category and the diverse number of local businesses represented on the night. In particular, I would like to congratulate the award winners this year. The award winner for the start-up award went to Alliance Leasing, founded by Michael Lindgren. This business offers an innovative approach to novated leasing and strives to assist employers to attract and retain staff. The judges commended Alliance Leasing for its clear vision; great competitor analysis; and strategic and targeted employment plan, where they choose to employ former sports talents for their strong teamwork ethic, which has delivered great dividends for the business. Winner of the microbusiness award went to Barmco Mana Partnership, which is a local business created in 2008 to service both government and private clients in the management of building projects, specialising in large-scale construction projects. Barmco Mana Partnership’s past projects have included the Nishi building and the Doris Blackburn building. It has also completed work on several Calvary hospital projects. The judges commended Barmco Mana for its strong operational excellence, processes and procedures and a clear presence in Canberra. The medium business award was awarded to the Synergy group, which was established in 1999, specialising in accounting and consulting services for government agencies. The Synergy group is one of the fastest growing consultancy firms in Canberra, having grown from just two founding partners in 1999 to a team of over 70 staff in just 16 years. This business, according to the judges, has a very strong growth plan, is a trusted and solid company and has a great recruitment strategy, with continuity of work, strong management, a strong marketing plan, staff retention and a great cash flow. The final award winner for the evening was Red Robot, who won the small business category and were also named the 2015 Telstra ACT business of the year. Red Robot has previously won design awards in both Sydney and Melbourne for innovative design and has become Australia’s largest commercial photo booth supplier, with products such as iSnap Social, which harnesses the power of social media and product branding, and other fully mobile devices, such as Atom. This company has attracted international attention for its innovative products and has supplied not just local but international organisations with its innovative and customisable products. It is a credit to not just local businesses that won an award category but all those that were selected as finalists in the awards for this year. The application process to be nominated for a Telstra business award is in excess of 60 pages long; it looks at not just profit or cash flow but also management systems, the potential of the business, succession planning, staff support and advertising, to name just a few. The process highlights not just the quality of the winners but also the quality of the finalists in each category. I think it points to the fact that the ACT business sector is doing very well in some areas. I would like to wish all the winning businesses good luck as they represent the ACT at the national awards to be held in Sydney on 20 August. Finally, I would also like to thank Telstra for their continued support of small and medium size local businesses, not just in the ACT but across Australia. Directory: data -> assets -> word doc -> 0012 word doc -> List of accessible executive records word doc -> National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme word doc -> This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth word doc -> Commonwealth of Australia 2002 word doc -> Commonwealth of Australia 2000 word doc -> Priority Existing Chemical word doc -> Rail safety news issue 6 – October 2011 word doc -> Review of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity: Identifying 0012 -> Sample Assessment Tasks 0012 -> Government Gazette issn-0157-833x no. R2 21 April 2016 Architects Act Download 480.04 Kb. Share with your friends:
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