Page 898 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 30 March 1993
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Even taking the Minister's figures, of offences, which I think he argues are lower than incidents - I take it that he is arguing that they are lower than incidents - the rate of offences works out at 130 offences per month. On your own figures, Mr Connolly, we have here 1,042 offences committed in the first eight months of 1992-93. That works out to be an average of 130 per month.
Mr Connolly: Compare that to 1,151.
MR HUMPHRIES: No. Compared with 129 - - -
Mr Connolly: No, no; compare like with like.
MR HUMPHRIES: No, no. You are not comparing the full year. You are comparing the first six - - -
Mr Connolly: You are not prepared to face these figures. This is the greatest weasel I have ever heard.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Deputy Speaker, I know that the Minister does not like this but - - -
MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! This is a debate. Mr Attorney, you will have the chance to respond in due course.
MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Deputy Speaker, the Minister continues to compare only the first six months of the last financial year with the first six months of this financial year. He cannot do that. He cannot make that comparison and expect to have it go across the board for all cases of car theft in the Territory. The fact of life is that there is no significant indication of any reduction in the rate of car theft as a result of those analyses of those figures. As I said, the rate of offences, which is his preferred term apparently, for 1992-93, at least for the first eight months of that year, is 130 offences per month. Obviously, it is possible to draw almost any silver lining from any set of figures, and I would suggest, with respect, that the Minister is very quick to do that in these cases; but it is not possible to do that reasonably and accurately in this case. There is no indication of there being a decrease in car theft, and the Minister must compare the full yearly rate with the first - - -
Mr Connolly: Compare like with like.
MR HUMPHRIES: Indeed. That is what I argue he should do. The Minister has referred to the document from which he quoted in the Assembly last week, or from which he drew his answer last week. The indications in that are very clear. I quote from the front page, which is all that has been tabled of that document. It states:
With the exception of TINS ... and traffic arrests ... demand (incidents reported) and activities have shown increases ranging from about 5 per cent to 85 per cent.
With the exception of motor vehicle theft (12 per cent decrease), -
again over that six-month period -
offences in all selected categories have shown increases.
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