Page 1309 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019

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I would say is that this is not just mindless fun and that people should most definitely step outside and get some exercise.

As someone that enjoys the occasional game, not as much as some people would assume, I would be happy to see more engagement with the Canberra community on this issue. Traditional sports are catered for, but there is space to work with and support new endeavours like e-sports. That starts with this motion and with the actions of the wider Canberra community. I once again encourage all members in this place to support this motion, but I suspect that they will.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

ACT Policing—resourcing

MRS JONES (Murrumbidgee) (3.51): I move:

That this Assembly:

(1) notes that under 18 years of Labor-Greens rule, the ACT Government has failed to provide adequate resources to our police force;

(2) further notes:

(a) the number of frontline ACT Policing officers has reduced from 719 in 2010-11 to 642.59 in 2017-18, while the population has increased by over 50 000;

(b) the ACT Government cut $15 million from ACT Policing in the 2013-14 budget; and

(3) calls on the ACT Government to restore police funding and increase the number of frontline officers in the upcoming 2019-20 Budget.

I am pleased to speak to the motion in my name relating to ACT Policing. After 18 years in power, the Labor-Greens government has failed our police force and it has failed the people of Canberra. There are 18 years of evidence of it. Labor and the Greens do not care sufficiently about the strength of the police force. The government has all of its priorities wrong. As a result, the men and women in uniform are suffering.

In 2010-11 there were 719 full-time equivalent sworn police officers serving in ACT Policing. That figure has been cut to just 643, 75 fewer sworn front-line police officers than a decade ago. In the same time, we have seen CPI growth make wages more expensive, as is normal, and a very significant increase in the ACT’s population, of well over 50,000 people. The Chief Minister constantly praises the strong population growth in Canberra. Yes, of course; that is correct. The population continues to grow at a steady rate. Why has the government cut the police force? There are now more and more people in our city to protect and fewer officers to do it. This is a terrible trend.

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