Page 3458 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 25 November 1992
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
to equip the police to deal with this problem, particularly when the police themselves are saying again and again that they do not have the capacity to deal with it - for example, they say that there are weaknesses in the public drinking legislation we passed in the Assembly last year - is a very sensible move and it will certainly receive support if it comes forward from the Government.
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and Training, Minister for the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (3.54): Two years ago or more I was a member of a committee of this Assembly that looked into public behaviours. That committee arose out of moves by the Liberals at that stage to introduce move-on powers. In the course of that committee's hearings we were told by people who were competent so to advise us that Canberra was perhaps the safest of Australia's capital cities. Any violence is unacceptable. Community safety standards can never be too high. If there is a trend towards greater violence in the community, it is one that we would all be concerned about. I have listened with interest to the comments made today by Mr Connolly. A large number of measures might be taken to improve public safety. Mr Kaine sensibly raised the responsibility of the community as a whole and the broad standards that obtain in a community. That is the starting point. The focus today in this debate has been on law enforcement, but we acknowledge that law enforcement is fairly far down the track in ensuring public safety.
I would like to mention two factors that are appropriate for me to mention as Minister for Planning. The paramount one is that for Civic to be safe it needs to be a busy, active, lively place. The more people in an area, the safer that area is. I do not think there is any doubt about that. I am sure members would not question that.
Mr Humphries: There were 200 in that crowd the other night and they did not feel very safe.
MR WOOD: I am not talking about a specific crowd like that, Mr Humphries. I drive past the Private Bin from time to time at night. It is not my drinking area. There is often a large overflow crowd on the footpath, though I have never observed any violence there. Certainly, there has been violence in the lanes at the back of that area.
We must be careful to see that Civic remains busy. If people become concerned about safety in Civic at night, especially late at night, and stay away from Civic it will become a less desirable place. Indeed, if there is a danger of violence, it could well increase in that circumstance. Civic is the main entertainment-commercial centre of Canberra. It is designed as such and it must remain that way. It is the place where there should be the greatest variety of shopping, more entertainment, appropriate commercial activity and ample opportunity for recreation, particularly dining out. Civic must stay in that style. It must be easily accessible, well lit, interesting and varied. I repeat that it is important that Civic remain the heart, the very healthy heart, of Canberra.
In order to ensure that it continues in this way and improves, the Government has begun a study of Garema Place. I recognise that that is not the whole of Civic, but it is certainly the heart of Civic. This study is being conducted jointly by the Department of the Environment, Land and Planning and Mr Connolly's Department of Urban Services. It has only just commenced, but it will examine comprehensively the physical and social issues involved in the continuing
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .