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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 03 Hansard (Thursday, 11 March 2004) . . Page.. 1217 ..

(2) Alzheimer’s Association (ACT) Inc receives $65,000 in funding through the Home and Community Care Program managed by ACT Health.

Applications for growth funding for the HACC program were advertised in February 2003 and Alzheimer’s Australia ACT did not seek additional funding through this open tender process. Further growth funding for this program will be advertised in June 2004.

In addition to the ACT funding Alzheimer’s Australia ACT also receive over $650,000 from the Australian Government for a range of programs to support people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Aboriginal protest activities
(Question No 1300)

Mr Cornwell asked the Minister for Police and Emergency Services, upon notice, on 2 March 2004:

(1) In relation to the lighting of a fire outside the Australian Federal Police headquarters on Friday 9 February 2004 by Aboriginal protestors, was a total fire ban in force in the A.C.T. on that day;

(2) If so, what action is being taken against those who began the fire;

(3) If no such action is being taken (a) why not, (b) why should such bans be respected by A.C.T. residents, (c) is it because the perpetrators are Aboriginal or supporters of Aboriginal people and (d) do we have separate laws for Aboriginal people and others and if so, will the A.C.T. Government promulgate the differences.

Mr Wood: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:

(1) There was no demonstration outside Australian Federal Police (AFP) Headquarters on Monday 9 February 2004. I would suggest that the question being raised by the Member refers to the protest activity by members of the Aboriginal community outside AFP Headquarters on Friday 20 February 2004. A Total Fire Ban had been declared pursuant to s7A of the Bushfire Act 1936 for the Australian Capital Territory for the period midnight Thursday 19 February 2004, until midnight Friday 20 February 2004.

(2) No action is proposed at this point in time.

(3) The demonstration of 20 February 2004 was in response to a call by Aboriginal groups to ‘call for support from the ACT Government and wider community in ensuring the death of the young person, TJ Hickey in Redfern on 14 February 2004 was properly investigated and the results made public’. The police examined the situation and assessed that the protest at the AFP Headquarters was an unsanctioned splinter group and that their protest was an attempt to force police into a conflict situation that may have escalated if not managed properly. Albeit not sanctioned by the rally organiser or community leaders, the splinter protest was targeting police-Aboriginal relationships, given the location, with the overarching premise of police exercising unnecessary violence and heavy-handedness against Aboriginal persons. Any overtly aggressive police action would only feed this premise and validate these sentiments. It was an emotive protest as

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