Page 3346 - Week 10 - Thursday, 19 October 2006
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regard for other people, who we should not tolerate such acts from. Indeed, if some of these people are caught perhaps the courts need to take a much stronger view in light of the fear and angst they cause to so many innocent people, and often to so many elderly, frail people who have no way of defending themselves in our community.
I point out to the Attorney that people do not feel particularly safe in Civic. I am just referring back to some community discussion. There were some call-ins on radio in relation to people’s perceptions on that issue. While some of the figures for general crime across the territory are encouraging, there are obviously significant incidents still which cause great concern for people and make them rightly fear for their safety in Canberra. A lot more needs to be done.
I support Mr Pratt’s matter of public importance today. He has made a number of comments, especially in relation to Red Hill. I will make some comments in my contribution in relation to points that my colleague Jacqui Burke, our housing spokeswoman, wants made in relation to this debate. Obviously if she were here, she would be speaking in relation to that.
The opposition has been pushing the Stanhope government for a number of years to release its plans for the overall update and redevelopment or rejuvenation of the Red Hill precinct that incorporates the local shops and the public housing complexes there. The problem is that no plans have been forthcoming, after questioning and other inquiry lines to the minister for housing and the Minister for Planning. Matters are still under consideration, and planning or redevelopment options are yet to be finalised.
Residential safety within the public housing complex areas is of genuine concern to the residents in the general neighbourhood. It is stressed, as is often the case here, that the majority are disrupted by a small number of totally selfish, inconsiderate people, intent on continuing disruptive and unacceptable behaviour that simply does not reflect our community standards and should not be tolerated.
There seems to be a key group responsible for the disproportionate amount of criminal activity or disruptive behaviour in the area around the Red Hill shops. Feedback received by petitioning residents and those who visit the shops indicates that theft and property crime in that area appear higher than in other parts of South Canberra. Residential complaints and feedback are significantly high, compared with many other neighbourhoods. These shopping precincts have been regularly subjected to a wide range of criminal activities, ranging from armed hold-ups to shoplifting, break-ins, drug dealings, harassment and intimidation of shoppers.
Of course, there are also the recent incidents in relation to Belconnen. As I mentioned earlier, elderly residents, law-abiding citizens—people who deserve to be protected and respected in our community—have locked themselves into their premises because of the actions of selfish, irresponsible louts. That is something that should not be tolerated. Interrelated to these matters, a pattern is emerging in the approach by the government to the public housing asset management strategy. That has been in place for some time and is, in a number of ways, a continuation of the multiunit property plan of the previous government, which I think was introduced in 1999.
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