Page 601 - Week 02 - Thursday, 19 February 2015
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MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Hanson for his question. Yes, I do stand by those comments. We are not swamped by organised crime. Indeed, the level of organised crime in the ACT continues to be low, and that is the advice from ACT Policing. That is the advice from the Australian Crime Commission and others. But obviously we need to continue to make sure that we take a strong approach to any incidents of unlawfulness, particularly ones that are involved with organised crime.
That is why ACT Policing has established Taskforce Nemesis, a very important response to organised criminal groups. That is why the government continues to take prudent and proportionate responses to changes to the law where that is needed, to ensure that our police continue to keep the foot on the throat of organised crime. That has been our approach to date. It remains our approach. Certainly, it also remains our approach that we will not introduce types of bills and laws that we have seen in other jurisdictions that proscribe people on the basis of their membership of an organisation. We will tackle it based on the offending behaviour, based on the offence, based on the criminality, not based on the membership of any particular organisation or group.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.
MR HANSON: Attorney, what actions are you taking to monitor the impact of New South Wales laws, and can you guarantee to this Assembly that the recent spate of shooting did not involve any bikies from New South Wales?
MR CORBELL: On the second point, those matters are matters for the police investigation; it is not appropriate for me to comment on behalf of the police. No charges have been laid. The investigation is ongoing. It would be entirely improper for me to speculate on those matters.
Sorry, what was the first part of your question?
Mr Hanson: The first part of my question was: what actions are you taking to monitor the impact of the New South Wales laws?
MR CORBELL: In relation to those matters, I receive regular briefings from the Chief Police Officer, from ACT Policing and from other organisations as appropriate, like the Australian Crime Commission, in terms of their data holdings and their assessments of criminality here in the ACT.
MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Smyth.
MR SMYTH: Minister, what actions did you take to ensure that the bikie gangs did not establish in the ACT, given the new bikie gang laws in New South Wales?
MR CORBELL: The government at that time that Mr Hanson refers to, in a previous debate on his substantive question, actually adopted a whole range of responses in the Criminal Code designed to ensure that police had the necessary tools. ACT Policing has engaged a dedicated task force to tackle criminality here in the ACT. The government has been proactive and always alert on these matters.
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