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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 06 Hansard (Thursday, 24 June 2004) . . Page.. 2659 ..

concerns mentioned today. I share the concern that AFP officers are seconded overseas and that, when you turn on your television, you see many of the well-known faces within the AFP strolling the footpaths at Honiara—and we have so many young faces within the ACT force.

I trust that the progress Mr Wood is obviously making will continue and that, in the inquiry and review that takes place, we will get a better handle on the value we get and find out if we really get the police that we pay for. Commissioner Keelty was asked that this morning. He gave a reflexive answer, but we seem to have a fluctuating number of police and a constant stream of payment. There has to be something there that needs some form of adjustment.

I would have to say, from my limited experience, that being the police minister is a lonely place to be. Who is there to help you? Quite obviously the rest of this house, as it rightly should, is keeping a weather eye on you and making sure that, if there is an opportunity to criticise, they take it. You have the police force themselves, who are not shy. They have quite a comprehensive PR unit telling the community exactly how hard they are working. I do not doubt that they work pretty hard.

We often get debates like the one we had yesterday with the new term of “community chemist”—chemists are not just chemist anymore, they are community chemists. And we had a little competition as to who loves chemists more than another. We have had, “Who loves nurses more?”—and, “Who loves teachers more?” Of course, from time to time, we have, “Who loves our police more?”

As I said, the position of police minister is a lonely place. Then there is the police association. What are the police association going to say about police numbers? “Have you got enough; don’t need any more; done well; would you like more?” If Mr Pratt would pretend to become police minister, I would warn him: don’t become a captive of the police association. We have had their words parroted by Mr Pratt in this place as being proof positive that there are not enough police—because the police association says so. Just take one step back from that and take a look at it.

Mr Pratt: They are parroting statistics, Ted. They are repeating statistics; they did not make it up.

MR QUINLAN: Let us get a quote from them out of the Canberra Times then, mate.

Mr Pratt: ABS—per head per capita, 184.

MR QUINLAN: I cannot find the date. Let me say “recent”. This is an article relating to claims by the police association. It says, “Opposition police spokesperson Steve Pratt said he agreed an additional 120 police were required immediately. ‘We think the AFP is putting forward a credible sensible plan.’” That to me, as I said, rings alarm bells, Mr Pratt. Be careful what you are dealing with. The police association are doing their job. They are doing their job by their members.

Mr Pratt: We stand by that comment.

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