Page 843 - Week 04 - Tuesday, 20 April 2021
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overtime or extended hours when they really should be looking after their own physical and mental wellbeing and taking some time away from the job.” Minister, is the AFPA wrong when it says that its members are tired, worn out and sick of having to do overtime just to make sure there are enough officers on duty?
MS BERRY: On a point of order, Madam Speaker, that sounded extremely familiar to me from the question that Mr Hanson asked, and I wonder if I could seek your guidance on that.
MADAM SPEAKER: It is on the same theme, but it is a different element of the question. So it is in order. Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: I thank ACT Policing for the work they do in supporting their colleagues when they need to take leave. Now as you and I know, Madam Speaker, shift work requires some overtime. It means that those people trained to do specific jobs in specific areas are needed when their colleagues take leave. I worked it for 11 years, and I know you, Madam Speaker, worked it for a long time as well. Most people who have work shift work in these frontline positions understand there is some overtime needed, but we need to balance it. That is why I am very pleased to hear from the CPA today that a number of our police staff have been taking their recreation leave early this year, and that means they are supported by their colleagues.
MR PARTON: Minister, why do some police work unacceptable overtime time or extended hours when they really should be looking after their own physical and mental wellbeing and taking some time away from the job, and is the AFPA wrong when it complains about this?
MR GENTLEMAN: I do not agree with the premise of Mr Parton’s question.
Mrs Jones: Which premise?
MR GENTLEMAN: I am going to get to that, Mrs Jones. When you look at the work an officer needs to do, it is appropriate that we delegate that as a roster clerk and duty sergeants would do, to that those officers have the time off they need to recover with their families.
MR HANSON: Minister, why did you vote for the government cuts of $15 million from the police budget in the 2013-14 budget? I note that we did not vote for that.
MR GENTLEMAN: I do not recall voting against any funding for policing.
Gungahlin—policing resources
MR MILLIGAN: My question is to the Minister for Police and Emergency Services. For more than a decade, the Australian Federal Police Association have been campaigning for a dedicated police station in Gungahlin, which is their top priority. The station has been operating 24/7 since 2009, with officers making an around-the-clock commitment to former minister, Simon Corbell, on the understanding that a
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