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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (25 September) . . Page.. 3337 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (continuing):

Madam Deputy Speaker, there is a range of messages in these figures - some of them good, some of them bad. For example, total incidents - that is, attendances by police on things occurring - rose by 1.5 per cent; offences such as armed robbery are up by 21 per cent; motor vehicle theft is up by 16 per cent; and offences against court order, which constitute the bulk of the increase of 8.7 per cent overall, are up by 71 per cent. I would draw to members' attention a number of matters currently before the Assembly which may touch on the response that the Assembly chooses to make, particularly to those offences being committed on Canberra streets.

In other areas, Madam Deputy Speaker, the offences indicate positive trends. Burglaries are down 7 per cent; fraud and misappropriation are down 20 per cent; theft, burglaries and fraud in total are down 6 per cent. Clearly, in these figures there are areas to which attention needs to be paid. I look forward to the Assembly as a whole, on the basis of accurate figures being made available, dedicating time and attention in the coming years to ensuring that these figures constitute something of a work program for the Assembly in developing strategies for dealing with those problems in the Canberra community.

Of course, the Government maintains that those sorts of problems should be dealt with not just by way of legislation but also by way of resourcing of the Australian Federal Police, by way of sentencing policy, by way of community education, to, as it were, harden the target, particularly for those offenders who apparently come from parts of New South Wales to commit offences here, particularly burglary, in part because the ACT is seen in some ways as a softer target. I commend the figures to the Assembly.

Debate (on motion by Mr Berry) adjourned.

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning) (4.46): Madam Deputy Speaker, for the information of members, I present the report on progress in Planning and Land Management, which was sought during debate on the Government's response to the Stein report. I move:

That the Assembly takes note of the paper.

I seek leave to incorporate my tabling statement in Hansard.

Leave granted.

Statement incorporated at Appendix 19.

Debate (on motion by Mr Berry) adjourned.

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