Page 1311 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
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grow the population whilst wilfully and knowingly neglecting resources and ignoring the needs of the police force. The way that this government has neglected our police force numbers is not something that can be brushed aside and forgotten.
I know that the minister will attempt to change the narrative, put his spin on the facts, and have a go at me, attack the metric perhaps. He loves to attack the metric—like when he decided to abolish the minimum crew measure for ambulance resourcing after we exposed the fact that more than 40 per cent of all ambulance shifts were below minimum crewing. How convenient. The government and the minister keep putting their heads in the sand, hiding behind a futures review, pretending that this is not a present, acute problem. This is another total failure to back our men and women in blue.
As Canberra grows, we must work with our police force to ensure that they are always being given the staffing and resources they need to meet growing demand. This is a fundamental service that the government provides. One of the most basic features of government is keeping the population well represented with a police force that can protect them, one that has the time to look into the things that are affecting them. You would think it was obvious. What would be more important? Clearly this tired old government is struggling to work out what its priorities should be. What does the minister really do all day? You would think that making sure that the front-line services keep up with population growth would be one of the most basic metrics that a minister would seek out.
The Canberra Liberals presented anti-consorting laws to the Assembly which would give police the powers to prevent and disrupt bikie gangs more effectively and prevent organised crime from meeting for criminal purposes. This government said no. The Canberra Liberals asked the government to reconsider the weak police pursuit policy they have foisted on police. Police officers and vehicles are now being rammed by cars, with criminals driving off laughing, knowing they will not be followed. Once again, the government said no. The Canberra Liberals have called for stronger laws to protect our police and emergency services workers. But to this point the government has said no.
It is clear that after 18 years in power, this government will always say no to protecting and supporting our police appropriately. You begin to wonder whose side they are on. What are they doing here exactly? Why did the minister get himself elected—to be in photographs with the very emergency services workers he is not doing the basics for? This government is overseeing a police force that is being deprived of the necessary resources to meet growing demand for its services, and hardworking Canberrans are expected to quietly suffer the consequences.
The men and women of our police force are extraordinary people. They do a remarkable job of protecting our community in what can be such emotionally and physically gruelling work. They do their job in spite of the 18-year-old government that does not care to make sure that there are anything like enough of them. They do their jobs despite a government that funds them less than any other government in the country funds front-line personnel.
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