Page 4593 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 19 October 2010
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MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Hargreaves for the question. In relation to the AFP Act, it is clear that the AFP Act, which is a commonwealth piece of legislation, grants the responsibility for policing the territory to the Australian Federal Police. There is, however, a question as to whether or not that relates solely to policing of federal functions or whether it also relates to policing of territory functions or territory laws. There is some ambiguity in the act in that respect.
In relation to the self-government act, my recollection of the self-government act is that it does not permit the territory to make laws insofar as they affect the operation of the Australian Federal Police. So we cannot make laws for the Australian Federal Police. We can make laws that they enforce, but we cannot make laws that affect the Australian Federal Police. I am happy to provide more detailed advice to Mr Hargreaves that outlines those issues in more detail.
I think it is important to draw to members’ attention that there are a broad range of functions within the AFP that we get benefit from. I have mentioned the fact that if we were to have our own stand-alone police service, we would have to have our own forensics capability and our own specialist response counter-terrorism capability. We would have to have all of those capabilities and pay for them without the synergies that come from also being able to draw on the fact that the AFP is both a national police service as well as a community policing service.
In terms of turnover and the movement of officers between the ACT and the wider AFP, the attrition rate for 2009-10 was 3.23 per cent. The movement between ACT Policing and the broader AFP in percentage terms is quite small. I think that highlights the stability of the current arrangements.
MS LE COUTEUR: A supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Ms Le Couteur.
MS LE COUTEUR: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Minister, can you please advise when the 2010-11 purchase agreement will be put on the ACT Policing website?
MR CORBELL: I would have to take that on notice, Mr Speaker.
Mortgage relief fund
MR COE: My question is to the Treasurer. I refer to the mortgage relief scheme launched by your government in 2008. In the past 12 months, there have been four applications for assistance under the scheme, with only one being approved. All of the money allocated from this financial year onwards has been reallocated. Minister, why did this scheme only receive four applications, with only one being successful?
MS GALLAGHER: Only one person met the criteria for approval of their application is the short answer. You just faded out a bit in asking your question, but I think you asked whether all the money was rolled over or removed. I just want to make it clear, because there was an inaccuracy in the media report in the paper, that
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