Page 2357 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 16 September 1992
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Mr Berry: With $6m unapproved.
MR CONNOLLY: Yes, $6m unapproved. As is clear in the budget papers, and it is explained in a footnote, if Mr Humphries's researchers had bothered to read the footnote, the reason for that overexpenditure in policing was the Aidex demonstrations last year, which were far and away more violent than any intelligence or assessment had led us to believe.
Mr Humphries: You should not have encouraged them, then, should you?
MR CONNOLLY: That is an outrageous statement and a stupid statement for you to make, Mr Humphries. That is a stupid statement for you to make, because you know that as soon as there was violence we strongly condemned it. You know that we condemn violence, and for you to make those cheap and grubby little interjections ill becomes you.
Mr Wood: And they wanted Aidex.
MR CONNOLLY: Yes, you are the people who are in favour of arms sales. You are the people who think it is a good thing to be selling weapons.
Mr Kaine: Madam Speaker, on a point of order: I think the Minister is getting quite violent now. Can you quieten him down a bit?
MADAM SPEAKER: Thank you for your advice, Mr Kaine.
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, absent that interjection, which was beneath Mr Humphries, it was clear that we achieved the savings last year on the community policing budget. We overspent because of extraordinary measures that were necessary as a result of Aidex. This year I am totally confident that we will achieve those savings. We have been working on achieving those savings for many months. We have been out implementing those savings.
The voluntary attendance at court scheme will mean that, instead of spending money on police officers running about the town serving summonses, people will agree to turn up at court for minor criminal offences. So far there have been 129 of those in the trial period, which have resulted in 127 attendances at court and two failures to attend that resulted in summonses. So there has been an overwhelming success rate, which is delivering real savings, meaning that we can direct police resources to community policing and beat policing rather than running around serving summonses.
In relation to the breathalyser technology, we are confident that that will deliver real savings. We will no longer need to have an expensive and extensive police centralised bureaucratic network to operate the breath analysis machines. Individual patrol officers will be able to do that. That will deliver significant savings. Savings will also be achieved on this year's budget as a result of the full year effect of last year's roster changes. It will not be necessary to make any further changes to working conditions or rosters. The full year effect of that will deliver those savings.
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