Page 2728 - Week 08 - Thursday, 11 August 2016
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I have spoken previously of the importance of restorative justice to heal victims’ wounds and bring contrition and insight to offenders. The fact that restorative justice is being expanded here in Canberra and that, for the first time nationally, adult offenders, and serious crimes, including sexual assault and family violence, are to be included is a reform we can all be proud of, because it will bring more healing, it will address more trauma and it will reduce offending. These are all things that a justice system should do.
I will not be present in the official party when our new law courts open in 2018. The other public-private partnership—as I like to call it, the PPP whose benefit-cost ratio and business case have received no attention whatsoever—will be modern and accessible law courts and a very important civic building which will serve our city for many years to come. Perhaps the next attorney could include me on the invitation list—in the stalls, of course.
It has been a great privilege to have worked with and supported our police and emergency service personnel over the last decade. The work they do, as career and volunteer professionals, is simply outstanding. We have learnt hard lessons about managing emergencies, particularly from the tragedy of the 2003 firestorm, but having sat in cabinet in 2003, and today, I can say that our services are more integrated and coordinated than they have ever been. As we go into the future, I would urge governments to resist the pressures that will allow our fire services to again become isolated and separate. Governments will need to resist demands that would result in an unhealthy culture being re-established that would see our services uncoordinated, culturally isolated and with every potential to be as overwhelmed as they were in 2003. So much work has been done to see a truly joined up emergency service capability that can protect our community. This has been led particularly by our current commissioner, Dominic Lane. I thank him for the work that he has done. Let it not be undone, Madam Speaker.
As police minister, I have known five chief police officers: Audrey Fagan, Andy Hughes, Mick Phelan, Roman Quaedvlieg and Rudi Lammers. I am not sure why we tend to favour CPOs of apparent Irish or low country descent. However, I can say that all of them were or are worthy leaders of ACT Policing. They have all brought integrity, courage and street smarts to this most vital of community roles. I am particularly grateful for the support and counsel of CPO Lammers, who is here today, who has made the commitment to serve out his 30-year career with the AFP as Chief Police Officer and to continue to work with me as minister until my own retirement from office.
Madam Speaker, some members may recall the death of Audrey Fagan. Her passing was a tragedy. I can still recall the enormous loss and grief experienced across the AFP at the time. Speaking with former commissioner Mick Keelty on the night of Audrey’s death, it was clear that some things would never be the same again, yet we both agreed that every support should be provided to Audrey’s family and the broader policing family. One blessing from the tragedy of Audrey Fagan’s passing was the relationship I was able to build with Mick Keelty as AFP commissioner and, subsequently, with his successors as commissioners of the Australian Federal Police. But Audrey’s passing reminds us all that sometimes we treat each other a bit too harshly and we forget some fundamental humanity.
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