Page 3461 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 18 September 1991
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MR COLLAERY: I ask whether that review of the arrangement will not include a review of the settled arrangement - the arrangement settled this year with the police and the fire brigade - on the division of rescue services in the Territory.
MR CONNOLLY: Mr Collaery drew attention to what he described as my instructions from Mr Berry. Mr Berry's no doubt sinister instructions were, "It is a review". Mr Collaery, I cannot put it more simply, or more cogently, or better than that. It is a review. A review will review all issues. The ACT Labor Government made a decision, announced in the budget, which involved a reduction in the allocation to policing of a very minor amount - about two point something per cent of the police budget or $1.2m. The police are, operationally, looking at how they will achieve those very minor administrative savings.
There is a review of the policing arrangement with the Commonwealth. The ACT Labor Government was able to achieve a significant benefit to this Territory in getting an additional 42 positions paid for by the Commonwealth - a net gain to this Territory of some $3m-odd - and, significantly, a reduction in the overfunding that the Grants Commission will look at. It shows up in the budget papers as a reduction of 42 staff. Of course, it is not a reduction of 42 staff; they are still there; they are still doing Canberra policing; but they are paid for by the Feds. That means that the Grants Commission alleged overfunding has been reduced by those 42 positions, which is about 7 per cent out of a 28 per cent reduction.
So, the ACT Labor Government is achieving remarkable things in policing. What we are not doing is what Mr Kaine said he would do. Mr Kaine last year, in August 1990, said, "We will bring the expenditure on the police back to a reasonable figure". He was talking about major reductions. But, more than that - wait for it - he said, "We will do to the police just as we have done in education and health". So, they will stuff up the system, close facilities, create total chaos and no doubt have a budget blow-out, to boot. That is not what we are doing, Mr Speaker.
Ms Follett: Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.
PAPERS
MR WOOD (Minister for Education and the Arts and Minister for the Environment, Land and Planning): Mr Speaker, for the information of members I present a Department of the Environment, Land and Planning corporate plan 1990-91 entitled "Partners in Quality", and also draft variations to the Territory Plan for the Yarralumla Brickworks and the Jamison Centre in Macquarie, pursuant to section 22 of the Interim Planning Act 1990. In accordance with
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