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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 10 Hansard (Wednesday, 25 August 2004) . . Page.. 4172 ..

The trend in robbery over a period reflects a significance decrease of 26 per cent. (Extension of time granted.) From time to time you get a spike in various aspects of crime. There has been a general decrease of 26 per cent. The trend in burglary reflects a decrease of 16 per cent in burglary rates.

There has been a decrease in motor vehicle thefts—we used to be the motor vehicle theft capital; these figures are still too high but they are much better than they were—of 11½ per cent. These numbers continue to go well. One of the reasons is that—as Mr Pratt said—we have a good police force. But there are more of them. We have added to those numbers. We have to the finances.

Mrs Dunne: Why can’t people see them if there are more? Why can’t they see them.

MR WOOD: Let me go further. Someone over there was talking nonsense about community safety.

Mrs Dunne: Demonstrate. Put the figures on the table and show us.

Mr Corbell: Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. There has been a constant barrage of interjections from the opposition side of the chamber when a government member has risen in this debate. I ask you to call those benches to order.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: I know; I have been aware of that. I uphold the point of order.

MR WOOD: They try to disrupt what they do not like. Let us look at the Emergency Services Bureau. That has seen the greatest increase ever in resources—substantial increases in resources. With that increase in resources—that is, money increase—there has been a substantial improvement in capacity to manage events. The CADS system—if you do not have an invitation you will get one shortly; I hope you go out and see it—is an initiative flowing entirely from the time of this government. The radio network is moving forward.

Mrs Dunne: That’s not true.

Mr Pratt: No. The concept evaluation was before your time.

MR WOOD: There are extra personnel right across the area. I am sorry; I did not pick up what was said.

MR DEPUTY SPEAKER: You do not pick it up anyway—interjections are out of order.

MR WOOD: I like to respond but I do not always hear what is being said. The Emergency Services Bureau has expanded considerably. It has a much greater capacity to respond. I do not recall the lot over the road doing anything about emergency services. They set it up in the form that it was. They then recommended that it be changed. It has been changed of course. But it now has significant resources: fire fighting resources, ambulance resources—

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