Madam Speaker, I stand today to move two small but quite significant amendments to the bill under debate. I and the rest of the Canberra Liberals have agreed with this proposed legislation in principle. We want to have good laws in this territory that protect victims of family and personal violence. For this reason, both the Family Violence Act and the Personal Violence Act were unanimously approved last year by the Eighth Assembly, and I understand the desire for these two a

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Today I wish to speak in support of multiculturalism. This isn’t merely an academic discussion for me. As a migrant from the Pacific Islands, multiculturalism in Australia is my personal, everyday, lived experience, and I’m thankful to be a part of this great nation. The White Australia Policy, once described by Labor Prime Minister Billy Hughes as 'the greatest thing we have achieved', was introduced in part to force people who look like me out of A

Yesterday I spoke about Heart Support-Australia, a wonderful organisation in my electorate that provides a community of lifelong support to heart patients and their carers. Today I would like to share a few words about another outstanding community service organisation that has a significant presence in the Ginninderra Electorate, the ACT branch of Better Hearing Australia. As a not-for-profit public benevolent institution and recognised charity, Better Hearing Australia has

As the Shadow Minister for Families, Youth and Community Services, I am delighted to speak on the matter before us this afternoon: the importance of early childhood education in the ACT. On this point, Madam Speaker, the research is clear. Brain development is most rapid in the early years of life. As Jack Shonkoff and Deborah Phillips have noted, the human brain develops the vast majority of its neurons, and is at its most receptive to learning, between birth and three years

Madam Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to resume the debate on this important legislation, which the Canberra Liberals will be supporting. The Family Violence and Personal Violence Acts were passed by the ACT Legislative Assembly with unanimous support on the second of August last year and will commence operation on the first of May this year. The Family and Personal Violence Legislation Amendment Bill, which is planned to come into effect on the thirtieth of April

Madam Speaker, I wish to take a few moments this afternoon to speak in support of Heart Support-Australia. Heart Support-Australia has grown into a nationwide non-profit organisation that supports heart patients, but it has its humble origins here in the ACT and maintains its head office in Belconnen, in my electorate of Ginninderra. Heart Support-Australia’s beginnings date back to 1986, when Canberran Mr Max Nancarrow found himself struggling after a heart bypass operation.

The Canberra Liberals are delighted to have steered the ACT government into finally considering the Prime Minister’s proposal for uniform “No Jab, No Play” laws, preventing unvaccinated children from enrolling in childcare centres. This stance is essential and it’s troubling that the ACT government was hesitant on the issue, Shadow Minister for Families Elizabeth Kikkert said today. “‘No Jab, No Play’ is good public policy that enjoys bipartisan support at the federal level a

Madam Speaker, I wish to take a few moments this afternoon to speak in support of the ACT Brumbies. The Brumbies were formed 21 years ago as one of the founding teams of the Super 12 (now Super Rugby) competition. Since that time, they have become the most successful Australian team in the competition, reaching six finals and winning two – better than all the other Australian teams put together. The Brumbies were also the first team outside New Zealand to win the Super 12 cha

I move: That this Assembly Notes: That immunisation is the most significant public health intervention in the last 200 years, providing a safe and efficient way to prevent the spread of many diseases that cause hospitalisation, serious ongoing health concerns and death; That since the introduction of vaccination for children in Australia in 1932, deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases have fallen by 99 per cent; That immunisation is critical for the health not only of indi

Keeping our youth safe is one of the greatest priorities for governments, and every single child in our schools deserves this protection. I am concerned, however, that the Government has tunnel vision with regards to the current Safe Schools program. While I wholeheartedly support all efforts to create a safe and supportive environment in schools, we need to be more inclusive in our efforts. So many of our youth are vulnerable, and they also deserve their schools to be safe p