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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 12 Hansard (20 November) . . Page.. 3867 ..

MR WHITECROSS (Leader of the Opposition) (12.22): I want to speak briefly to affirm the Labor Party's support for this motion and the comments that both Mr Osborne and Mr Humphries have made in relation to this matter. We are a self-governing Territory and we are responsible for a whole range of our own affairs. It is quite appropriate that there should be a statutory position in the ACT answerable to the ACT Government and the ACT Assembly on policing in the ACT. It is an issue that we are going to have to continue to work through with the Commonwealth. I understand some of the Commonwealth's concerns. I think Mr Humphries touched on some of them. There are, obviously, some operational considerations affecting the thinking of the Federal Attorney-General on this matter. Nevertheless, like other jurisdictions, we are entitled to a level of autonomy. I think this motion makes that point. Therefore, we are happy to support it.

MR MOORE (12.24): When the Alliance Government originally agreed with the Federal Government on the process for dealing with our police force I was critical, and I have been critical about that agreement ever since. This issue illustrates more than anything else why that is the case. It demonstrates the same perception as the Federal Parliament demonstrated when Kevin Andrews presented his Bill on euthanasia. It was not a question of whether or not there should be euthanasia; it was a question of whether or not a self-governing Territory should be a self-governing Territory, with control over its own laws and important areas of jurisdiction. I would go further and say that the current agreement we have with the Commonwealth is inadequate, and that we ought to see what we can do to withdraw it. I am not aware of when it comes up for renegotiation or reconsideration.

I believe that we should work in the same way that the Canadian Provinces work in dealing with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Force. They effectively contract out police services. You may recall that just prior to self-government Colin Winchester, before his very untimely death, went to Canada and was to report on that issue. He indicated publicly that he favoured that process. That would give us a far more effective way of dealing with the police force. Having seen the attitude of the Commonwealth should strengthen the Minister's arm, and he should begin to consider the possibilities of putting our policing out for tender. The Federal Police would have a major advantage over any other police force in tendering. I think it unlikely that another police force would win, although I would expect the Victorian and New South Wales police forces to tender for such a project.

When you look at the way the whole purchaser-provider model has been adopted by this Government, it makes very good sense for us to go down that kind of path to give us control over our own police force. Of course, there are significant disadvantages in how the Federal police force operates here in looking after the Commonwealth and Commonwealth areas. Let us be open about this. The Commonwealth are doing nothing to look after us. We see constant cuts to our finances. Time after time the Federal Parliament says, "Too bad". The Prime Minister does not even live here in the Lodge. The Federal Government have taken a totally negative view to Canberra. They will continue cutting Canberra and I think that we owe them absolutely nothing.

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