Page 1169 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 10 April 2018
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and colleges. This funding was allocated in the 2017-18 budget and will deliver upgrades and extensions to existing classrooms, new classrooms, refurbishment of toilets and change rooms, new gardens, horticultural facilities, equipment upgrades and heating and cooling systems, and energy efficiency improvements to Canberra’s public primary schools and high schools.
Alongside this investment, the government committed $24 million to school expansions in Gungahlin, one of the fastest growing regions in the country, and provisioned $15 million in infrastructure grant funding for non-government schools.
We funded the beginning of other big school infrastructure projects like planning for new schools in Molonglo and Gungahlin. The government is proudly making this investment because it believes that every Canberran deserves an education that allows them to get the most out of their life—in their job and their career as well as their community.
Education has the power to break down barriers, improve our health and help people lead fulfilling lives. Every child deserves a great education, regardless of their background or their postcode, and the government is giving Canberra children this opportunity through its investment in school infrastructure.
Crime—statistics
MR MILLIGAN: My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. Minister, today ABC Online revealed that ACT Policing reports rose by seven per cent, the number of burglaries rose by 32 per cent, armed robberies rose by 21 per cent, motor vehicle theft is up 41 per cent and other robberies are up 33 per cent. Minister, why did the number of crimes increase by seven per cent with double-digit growth in theft in 2017?
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank Mr Milligan for the question. The advice I have from ACT Policing, and what I have said many times as police minister, is that crime is cyclical, it fluctuates and Canberra is not immune to that.
Mr Hanson interjecting—
MADAM SPEAKER: Last week you were in here saying that you were going to be very respectful and not interject. Let us just keep you to honouring your commitment. Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: Thank you, Madam Speaker. There are some increases in some categories of crime over the four-year period. It is instructive to look at crime trends in the ACT over 10 years. This is advice from ACT Policing: over the past 10 years homicide is down by 75 per cent; burglaries are down by 30 per cent; motor vehicle theft is down by almost 20 per cent; other theft is down by almost 25 per cent; and property damage is down by almost 40 per cent. The crime trends for the ACT are trending down. This is due to the hard work by ACT Policing.
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