Page 1547 - Week 05 - Thursday, 2 June 2022
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
and well regulated, including in public transport, and we will continue to enforce our existing restrictions.
Environment—kangaroo management—petition 17-22
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (10.15): I rise to speak very briefly on the petition tabled by Mr Pettersson today. Like many members here, I am sure you have received emails and messages from various members of the Canberra community concerned about kangaroo culls. I know that my Canberra Liberals colleagues certainly have. It is important that we recognise that these concerns come from a genuine and caring place. The people that raise these concerns care about kangaroos and all animals here in the ACT. It is a highly emotive issue, and I appreciate that there are many conflicting views on the culls. It is important that we ensure that, if they are carried out, the culls are done in the most humane way possible. I look forward to the government response to the petition.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Valedictory
MRS JONES (Murrumbidgee) (10.16), by leave: I was elected to this place in 2012 at 32 with four children. Who the heck does that? And now I am resigning from this place at 42 with six children. Not many do that, either!
In my maiden speech I said that I wanted a family, a career and to have a say in our governance. All of those here today know that I have done that. I have had many achievements in this place, not all of them visible. I think the most memorable were the changes to the breastfeeding and breast pumping facilities in ACT government buildings that ensured comfort and privacy for women. Those present when I brought out the breast pump are probably still feeling uncomfortable about it today!
As shadow minister for police and emergency services, I pushed the government to look after our frontline workers better—police, ambos, firies, corrections officers. I helped to improve firies’ pay and equipment. When I called the government out, however, on not meeting its own minimum ambulance crewing requirements, Mr Gentleman, in classic Jack Lang Labor “whatever it takes” style, did away with the measure for minimum crewing. I am still a bit annoyed about that one. Our police work so hard for our community, and ACT Policing are the most under-resourced police in our nation.
Over the years we have talked about territory rights in this place, and I agree that over time the territory should be free to legislate on the same range of issues as the states. Currently, however, the ACT is not able to raise its own police force. We must rely on MOUs with the commonwealth for our community policing, which means we do not control pay, culture or conditions, all of which are lagging. If we are serious about territory rights, we should be serious about removing outdated restrictions on our right to ensure our community here in Canberra is safe and that the police have the resources to better respond to and investigate crimes affecting our community. The
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video