Page 1312 - Week 04 - Wednesday, 3 April 2019
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I am calling on this government and this minister: before you get up and praise the men and women in blue and pretend to give a damn, stand up here in this place and commit to increasing their numbers, and significantly. Commit to restoring the cuts you have made, which have left them, in the words of one officer who recently spoke to me, vulnerable, exhausted and constantly being pestered to do more and more overtime. Our police deserve better and our community deserves better.
MR GENTLEMAN (Brindabella—Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Minister for Planning and Land Management, Minister for Police and Emergency Services and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Advanced Technology and Space Industries) (4.00): I thank Mrs Jones for bringing this motion here today. I cannot agree with her comments, unfortunately, but I will answer some of the questions that she put during her speech. She asked why I was elected. It is because I support social justice and equity in our community and I stand up for community values. I cannot agree with Mrs Jones’s motion. I can say emphatically that we do not ignore police. I move:
Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:
“(1) thanks the ACT Policing workforce for their dedication and diligence in keeping Canberrans safe;
(2) recognises the investment and funding that has been made in recent years by the ACT Government in ACT Policing, including in the 2018-19 Budget which contained:
(a) $5.6 million for new smartphones to all police officers to improve the secure capture, transmission and sharing of data and radio communications;
(b) $2 million to upgrade the facilities at Tuggeranong Police Station and Winchester Police Station;
(c) $2.6 million to recruit four, new specialist positions to expand ACT Policing’s strategic analysis capability, helping to identify and target emerging crime trends; and
(d) $1.6 million to recruit two specialist officers to combat organised crime, strip criminal wealth and deliver an improved surveillance capability to monitor the activities of criminal gang;
(3) notes the Canberra Liberals voted against the 2018-19 Budget, including funding allocated for ACT Policing; and
(4) calls on the ACT Government to continue working with ACT Policing as the city grows.”.
Canberra has the benefit of a hardworking, dedicated and effective police service. ACT Policing’s history of high performance is proof of this commitment and the professionalism of our officers, as well as evidence of this government’s continuing commitment to ensuring that ACT Policing’s resources continue to meet the needs of our community.
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