Page 4797 - Week 13 - Wednesday, 1 November 2017

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(c) in 2011-12, ACT Policing was funded $148 564 000, the population of Canberra at the time was 357 222, representing $415.89 per capita;

(d) in 2016-17, ACT Policing was funded $155 982 000, the population of Canberra at the time was 397 397, representing $392.51 per capita;

(e) in the five years from 2011-12 to 2016-17, funding for ACT Policing increased by 4.99 percent, inflation grew by 8.20 percent, and population grew by 11.25 percent;

(f) in the five years from 2011-12 to 2016-17, ACT Policing funding decreased by $23.38 per capita; and

(g) ACT Policing funding has not kept up with inflation, population growth or increasing workloads under the ACT Labor Government; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) ensure that ACT Policing funding increases at the same rate as inflation;

(b) justify why ACT Policing is expected to undertake more work with fewer resources; and

I am pleased to stand to speak to this motion in my name on the notice paper. After 15 years in office I regret to inform the community that this tired old Labor government has lost sight of what truly matters, what the purpose of government is, and what are the basic responsibilities they have to the people of the ACT. The ACT government no longer prioritises the safety and security of Canberrans, which is evident in its lack of support for ACT Policing, amongst other things.

Six years ago the ACT government funded policing to the tune of $148,600,000. According to the 2011 census, the population at that time was 357,222. This means that for every Canberran ACT Policing received just over $415. Five years on, at the end of last financial year, ACT Policing was funded $155,982,000 while the most recent census reveals Canberra’s population as 397,400. That means that in 2016-17 ACT Policing received only $392 for every Canberran, a fairly substantial decrease of $23 per person in the ACT.

During that same period, inflation grew by 8.2 per cent, meaning that each dollar does not go as far. The population also grew strongly by 11.25 per cent. These figures are much higher than the five per cent growth in police funding. This comes as our police are expected to do more and more with the dwindling resources that they have. An example of increased workloads in just 12 months is that calls from the public requiring ACT Policing services increased by 16.7 per cent, an additional stress on the system. Regardless of whether all these additional calls required immediate or emergency attention, each call had to be appropriately processed and decisions made upon them, and that takes resources.

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