Page 1733 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 18 August 1992
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There is one view that says, "Chuck the police out of it altogether and let the fire service do it all". The dilemma with that is that you need to have a police rescue capability for other purposes and it would be foolish to have sitting unused the police rescue capability available for urban motor vehicle accidents. The alternative view is that you should chuck the Fire Brigade out of it and have the police fully servicing it. The dilemma with that is that - - -
Mr Kaine: It is your job to make a decision, Minister; that is what you are there for.
MR CONNOLLY: There are no simplistic decisions. Under your Government, no decisions were taken, which was why you were not able to achieve savings anywhere. If we simply said, "The police will do it all", we would have to increase the police's resources. We also have the dilemma that the Fire Brigade need a lot of this rescue equipment in any event because the "jaws of life" type of gear and the cutting tools are required for getting in through security doors in premises and the like. So a modern urban fire pumper is equipped with most of the rescue gear anyway. We also have the fact that, whereas, obviously, the prime use for the police is law enforcement, the fire service needs a certain level of personnel. When there is no fire, those personnel are sitting around waiting for action, so it is sensible to use them.
What I am trying to achieve is the most efficient utilisation of both resources and I am trying to cut down on some of the interservice rivalry. There is no simplistic solution to this. If the Opposition think they have solutions, I would be most interested in their positive contribution to debate.
Mr Kaine: You are paid to come up with solutions, Minister; that is your job.
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Kaine, I am coming up with the solution, in that I have extended the agreement which was entered into by your Government as a sort of finish, end of the day, sign the north-south divide and forget about the problem, it will go away. I have extended that for 12 months; but I am working on the solution with the two relevant senior officers - the Chief Police Officer, Mr Dawson, and the Fire Commissioner, Mr Kerr - and the relevant unions to come up with a solution. So we are working on the problem. Mr Humphries identifies it quite properly as a problem for public policy. The current situation is not ideal, but we have extended it in the interim and are working for a better solution.
MR HUMPHRIES: Madam Speaker, I ask a supplementary question. Given that it has taken the Minister 14 months in office to get to the stage of appointing a subcommittee and getting the two unions to agree to get together, how long does he anticipate it will take to actually get this matter resolved rather than just to the point where it starts to be talked about?
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, we have been doing other things during that 14 months, including achieving significant reforms in the buses area and working on budgets, which you, Mr Humphries, were unable to achieve. The matter is in hand and closer to a solution than when the Liberals had responsibility; but, as I say, as in all matters, I am open to constructive solutions from any member of the Assembly.
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