Page 2264 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 1 August 2017
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important paediatric emergency department stream. We have seen over 40,000 people having access to nurse walk-in centres—which the Canberra Liberals would like to shut down—over the past three to four years. We will continue to expand the network of walk-in centres across the city. We funded in this year’s budget, for example, more nurses, beginning the expansion of the very successful hospital in the home program. Anybody in this place who knows anyone who has accessed the hospital in the home program will know that it is a fundamentally important health service to enable people to get back on their feet and get back to their daily lives. We have provided bulk-billing grants to a number of bulk-billing services on the south side of Canberra. And we will continue to deliver the high-quality healthcare services that Canberrans expect of a Labor government and know they will not get from a Canberra Liberals government.
Crime—motorcycle gangs
MR HANSON: My question is to the Attorney-General and relates to outlaw motorcycle gang activity in Canberra. The President of the Australian Federal Police Association stated on Radio 2CC on 11 July with regards to anti-consorting laws that, “It is the last part of the suite of resources we need to battle outlaw motorcycle gangs. I’ve been going on like a broken record. We’re an island in NSW. We’ve become a safe place to operate.” He concluded by saying, “For goodness sake, bring these laws in.” Attorney-General, why are you leaving police without the last part of the resources they need to battle outlaw motorcycle gangs?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Hanson for his question. I note that we have been working and we continue to work closely with ACT Policing and the community in relation to safety. Public safety is, of course, a strong commitment and a high priority of this government. Canberra remains a very safe city to live in. We know that we are not immune to the presence and activities of OMGs, and we are working closely not only through existing laws but also on the development of laws.
Currently we have an approach that has been focusing on strengthening traditional law enforcement responses. That includes the application of bail and sentencing laws and matters such as association and place restrictions on people to prevent further offences.
Mr Hanson: Madam Acting Speaker, on a point of order of relevance, the question related to anti-consorting laws and why these were not being brought in by the government, not on other laws that have been brought in by the government.
MADAM ACTING SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. Although the minister is, I think, coming close to dealing with the issues, I remind the minister that the standing orders say he should be concise and directly relevant to the subject matter of the question. The subject matter of the question was anti-consorting laws. The question specifically was: why have you not implemented anti-consorting laws.
MR RAMSAY: I would say that the consideration of what laws should be introduced is directly impacted by the laws that already exist and the laws that are being considered at the moment.
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