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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 6 Hansard (23 May) . . Page.. 1608 ..

MR HUMPHRIES (Treasurer, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Community Safety) (4.39): I present the following paper:

I move:

The report of the Justice and Community Safety Committee was tabled in the Assembly on 28 March this year. The committee reviewed the draft budget of the Department of Justice and Community Safety and made 17 recommendations following its deliberations. We are supporting most of the recommendations in the report as they confirm our desire to work effectively across all departments to provide a comprehensive and relevant service. The committee made 17 recommendations. The government agrees with 12 recommendations and agrees in principle with one recommendation. It does not agree with three recommendations.

Recommendation No 4 suggests that the ACT government consider providing additional funding to the AFP budget for the purchase of police search and rescue vehicles and diving equipment. This proposal was put to the committee by the Australian Federal Police Association. Assembly members will be aware that the government is entering into a purchaser/provider agreement with the Australian Federal Police which will concentrate on the outcomes expected by the ACT community. Investment in physical resources to meet those outcomes is an operational matter and best left to be decided on by AFP management, which will take account of relative priorities.

Recommendation No 10 advocates that the government provide additional funding to reimburse community organisations which provide assistance with interview friends. The Office of Community Advocate administers an after-hours interview friend roster which operates from 5.00 pm to 8.00 am each weekday and all weekend. Police are provided with a roster and contact the relevant friend directly when needed. Volunteers are trained by the OCA. When police need an interview friend between 8.00 am and 5.00 pm weekdays they generally contact youth centres for assistance. However, it should be noted that sometimes OCA volunteers attend daytime interviews. Also, community services attend those matters where they have an involvement.

Recommendation No 14 suggests that, in recognition of the need for a consumer credit legal service for low-income earners, the ACT government provide additional funding in the 2000-01 budget for the Care consumer credit legal service. The committee has identified no funding source and the only available funding source would be the existing legal aid budget allocated to the Legal Aid Commission. Care sought an allocation

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