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There are no moves, as far as I am aware, to relocate the people of the Bureau of Sport. In terms of the people in the Land Division, the Government has given a commitment to the building in Dickson, which obviously has to be used to relocate people in the John Overall Offices. That building in Dickson will go ahead and we will relocate people currently in the John Overall Offices.

MR WHITECROSS: I ask a supplementary question. Mr De Domenico, can you give me an assurance that the number of ACT Government employees in Tuggeranong will not be reduced as a result of relocations of staff and that the existing level of employment that the ACT Government is providing in Tuggeranong will be sustained?

MR DE DOMENICO: I give you an assurance that, unless somebody else is prepared to take on the lease that is currently there until the year 2000 or 2001, the people that are there now shall remain.

Safety House Program

MR OSBORNE: Mr Speaker, my question is to the Minister for Police. Minister, what steps will you be taking to help bolster the administration side of the police safety house program - an area that at the moment is grossly overworked and in urgent need of assistance to help continue this worthwhile cause?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Osborne for his question. I know from discussions with him that he is concerned about the direction and the future of the safety house program, and I hope that we can satisfy his concern with the agenda of this Government. We certainly will continue to support both the maintenance of the existing safety house strategy and its expansion throughout Canberra. At present the scheme covers some 14 suburbs throughout Canberra, particularly in the North Canberra and South Tuggeranong areas. The focus at the moment is on the Belconnen area for the purposes of expansion. However, the scheme is not as far advanced as I think was first envisaged when it was launched by Mr Connolly.

Mr Connolly: It was always meant to come in over time.

MR HUMPHRIES: I think Mr Connolly would accept that it was meant to be a process of accretion whereby it became prevalent throughout the whole of Canberra. That is a slow process. Possibly, the progress has not been as rapid as we would have liked, and the community is not yet in a position, either organisationally or financially, to be able to undertake any administration of the scheme. I think that when it reaches a certain size it will generate a certain administrative capacity through support from the community, such as we have seen, for example, with the Neighbourhood Watch program.

There will be, necessarily, some continuing involvement by the Australian Federal Police, as the scheme's credibility relies upon both the ability of the police to screen potential safety house applicants or residents and a police presence within community groups or facing community groups during the establishment phases of these schools.

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