Page 3572 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 24 November 2021
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There you go. As much as Mr Gentleman denies it, as much as he puts a myth out there that these cuts never happened, the ABC reported on it, the Australian Federal Police Association reported on it, as did the Canberra Times and the Chief Police Officer, and it is in the budget: $15.3 million was taken out of the police budget.
Mr Parton: We probably voted against it.
MR HANSON: There you go; with good reason. Here he comes. Mr Gentleman has arrived to defend the fact that he voted for the $15.3 million in cuts. I will repeat what was said, because Mr Gentleman is in the chamber now:
But Chief Police Officer Rudy Lammers conceded that some support positions may be “closely examined”, saying the tight fiscal environment was presenting a challenge in delivering high quality police services.
As I said before, that was because of the $15.3 million that you, Madam Speaker, as police minister, ripped out of their budget, and Mr Gentleman cheered along. In the article Mr Lammers said:
“At this stage our focus of savings …
The Chief Police Officer acknowledged that there were savings to be made. He knew that that was what had happened. He continued:
… is on areas that support front-line policing in ACT Policing and not front-line policing itself,” he said.
“While supplier budgets will continue to be scrutinised it is inevitable that to meet the savings efficiency …
We know what that is—the razor gang from the government that imposed those cuts. It was politely described by the Chief Police Officer as “savings efficiency”. He continued:
… some police support positions will need to be closely examined.”
Mr Parton: And who voted for that?
MR HANSON: Who voted for those cuts that Rudy Lammers, the Chief Police Officer, acknowledged were in the budget—that the Canberra Times reported on, the ABC reported on and the AFPA reported on, but denied by this government? It is bizarre, isn’t it? The article continues:
There are unconfirmed reports that 18 police positions could be cut in the short-term, and more could go in the last stages of the four-year budget cycle.
When news of the decision broke in 2013, the Australian Federal Police Association said more … positions could be lost.
The AFPA said the pressure on positions would be compounded in the last two years of the measure.
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