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Canberra Today 22°/24° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Burch under fire on first day back

AS the ACT Legislative Assembly sits for the first time in 2014, the Canberra Liberals have decided to move a doomed no-confidence motion in ACT Government minister Joy Burch.

Jeremy Hanson
Jeremy Hanson
Opposition Jeremy Hanson says it “isn’t a decision the Canberra Liberals are taking lightly” but maintains Ms Burch is responsible for “a litany of failures” over an unacceptably long period of time.

The Liberals also moved a no-confidence motion against Ms Burch in October, 2011.

Mr Hanson says a gaffe from November when Ms Burch retweeted a photograph of federal education minister Christopher Pyne with a caption that described him as a “c-nt” makes it “unacceptable” for her to be the ACT Minister for Education.

Joy Burch
Joy Burch
He argues that Burch’s role as Minister for Multicultural Affairs is also untenable because she “allowed” a burlesque act that used a Nazi costume to go ahead at the Canberra Fringe Festival, held in Civic Square on the opening night of the National Multicultural Festival.

“She failed to check with organisers about the show’s content before the performance and many in the multicultural community were offended,” Mr Hanson says.

“Joy Burch has failed in her other portfolios [as well]. She closed the Women’s Information Referral Centre in Civic last year without a proper plan for the rollout of essential services for vulnerable women. Ms Burch has also dropped the ball dealing with bullying issues at the CIT.

“During the last Assembly Ms Burch failed vulnerable children at least 24 times by giving their care to unauthorised agencies. She was also caught out handing out Labor Party and Labor Club membership forms to children as young as 14 on a school visit.”

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