Page 2190 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 22 June 2005
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
out. In the current financial year, the AFP is funded to provide a minimum of 796 full-time equivalents, based on the premise of a constable being employed at three-quarters of the permissible experience band. Going back to my previous comments, one of the jurisdictions actually counts constables before they are sworn in, while they are still training. The number I have just mentioned represents an increase of 27 FTEs from the financial year 2003-04 and an increase of 40 FTEs since the current government came to power in November 2001. Based on recently announced budget initiatives, ACT Policing minimum base staffing levels will increase to 816 FTEs during the financial year 2008-09, representing an increase of 60 FTEs since the Stanhope government was elected.
The Stanhope government has increased police resources from $68.2 million in 2001-02 to $94.4 million in 2005-6. The government’s real recurrent expenditure on police services exceeds the national average by $11 a person. Only the Northern Territory and Western Australia spend more money per person on police services. ACT Policing minimum base staffing levels have been funded to increase by 60 FTEs since the Stanhope government was elected. ACT Policing continues to perform well, with significant reductions in a broad range of crime types being achieved over the past 12 months. Mr Gentleman will probably speak a little more about that.
Mr Pratt likes to talk about using ABS figures, Productivity Commission figures and annual report figures, but he has not said anything about whether there is an inconsistency across the methodology for those figures. I have demonstrated today that there is. To say that policing is invisible in this town is an insult. The insult can be no better demonstrated than by his suggestion that police are unproductive in this town. Mr Pratt, an examination of your own words in Hansard will reveal that you have suggested that the police are unproductive in this town. I think that is going a little bit beyond the pale.
Mr Pratt: I think that that is a misrepresentation.
MR HARGREAVES: You accuse me of misleading the community. You misled the community, Mr Pratt, when you said that our services to the businesses in Manuka had not been up to scratch and the people were scared stiff. In fact, I went there and spoke to them. You got one person to justify your position. I can tell you, Mr Pratt, that when we put an additional patrol in there it went down 32 per cent and 21 people were arrested.
Mr Pratt: Haven’t you got a conscience?
MR HARGREAVES: Mr Pratt, you are a pathetic example of a shadow police minister. You are nothing short of pathetic; you really are. I think you are a good role model for every member of this community who wants to grow up to be pathetic, I really have to say. For example, why don’t you acknowledge that our police officers are performing particularly well? Instead of saying that the lower level crimes are going up and that this place is really a haven for graffiti artists, vandals and so on, acknowledge the fact that we have had a double-digit reduction in most—in fact, I would say all—of the major crime things. Mr Gentleman will articulate that for your edification a little later.
Mr Pratt: I cannot wait.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .