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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1995 Week 11 Hansard (14 December) . . Page.. 3167 ..

RECOMMENDATIONS

Turning now to the Committee's specific recommendations, I wish to begin by stressing that the Government has no intention, at this point in time, of establishing an ACT police service which is separate from the Australian Federal Police.

As I announced to the Assembly earlier, the AFP Commissioner, Mick Palmer and his senior staff have recently developed and implemented significant structural changes within the ACT Region. These changes focus on creating a multi-skilled and team based approach to the policing of the ACT and go a long way toward addressing many of the operational policing issues of concern to the Government. I am confident that these changes will assist in creating a more responsive, accountable and community focused police service for the ACT.

There has, however, been an ongoing concern as to the level of accountability to the ACT Government and the incapacity of the Government to issue policy directives which ensure that policing services are consistent with the Government's overall priorities.

The Government intends to pursue these matters through a combination of legislative provisions and, as the Legal Affairs Committee has recommended, the development of a new Policing Arrangement.

In this regard, Mr Speaker, I have recently written to the Commonwealth Minister for Justice, the Hon Duncan Kerr MP, indicating that the Government strongly supports the Committee's recommendations relevant to the arrangement and suggesting that we meet soon to discuss details and set a timetable for implementation.

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