Page 1307 - Week 07 - Thursday, 24 August 1989
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courts. I hope that we do not see many people before our courts charged with this offence. I rather hope that the police use this power frequently as a deterrent, as a threat to people, as a way of preventing crime from occurring in the first place.
The Chief Minister has referred to a number of things. She said that the Government believes that the underlying problems should be addressed, not just the symptoms of the problem. Of course, I applaud that sentiment; they must be addressed. But that does not excuse the Government, in the meantime, from doing anything about the symptoms of the problem. The symptoms themselves are serious; they are important; they should be addressed.
I have before me the letter that the Chief Minister wrote to the chairman of the Select Committee on the Police Offences (Amendment) Bill. In it she explains the Government's position very fully. Members will have seen that because it was circulated to all the members. She talks about the things that the Government would prefer as ways of dealing with the problems that have been addressed. She mentions that, rather than grant wide discretionary powers to police, the Government would prefer the opening of more youth centres; it would prefer measures to deal with homelessness, and to provide more training and employment opportunities.
Now, they are very good points to raise and I support them, but the question is what the Government is actually doing about these things. Has the Government opened any more youth centres? No. The Government has opened a centre that the previous Government paid for, but it has not actually put any new youth centres on line. It has not, as far as I am aware, created any spectacular new employment and training opportunities.
I believe that the measures that the Minister for Housing and Urban Services has been talking about with respect to youth homelessness are somewhat undercut by the other measures the Government has adopted in its budget to cut measures to combat youth homelessness, particularly cuts to the Galilee program. We have to ask ourselves whether the Government is actually addressing any of the underlying causes that it says are a reason not to pass this Bill. Quite clearly, it is not addressing those underlying causes. I think it is up to the Assembly to make sure that the problem is dealt with in some fashion, and I hope it will do so today by passing this Bill.
The other extraordinary thing, and the Chief Minister addressed this a moment ago when she spoke on this Bill, is that the Government believes that a visible presence by police would be an effective deterrent to street offences in Civic. I agree, and that has been proven to be the case - they would be an effective deterrent. But where is the money in the Government's budget for providing extra police? Where is the allocation? Have I missed something
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