Page 343 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 23 February 1993
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Police Numbers
MRS GRASSBY: My question is to the Attorney-General. Can the Attorney-General inform the Assembly of any proposed changes to the number of police in the ACT?
MR CONNOLLY: The Government has no plans to reduce the number of police protecting this community. Indeed, we promised during the campaign that that was our goal, and we have, during the period we have been in office, shifted somewhat the burden of who pays for those police by getting the number of police paid for by the Commonwealth from 40-odd originally up to, as a result of Senator Tate's latest offer, some 95. So the Government has no plans to change the number of police serving the ACT. We have achieved that despite a steady process of efficiencies and budgetary savings in the police - the police having to achieve a 2 per cent budget saving, like any other agency; the police budget being treated, as Mr Kaine repeatedly says it should be treated, just like any other agency.
I cannot give an assurance that the number of police serving this community would not drop dramatically were there to be a dramatic change to the way the ACT is funded from the Commonwealth. The coalition's bold assertion that it will come - - -
Mr Humphries: The Hewson government, perhaps.
Mr De Domenico: Here we go. Look at this. The longbow.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
Ms Follett: Madam Speaker, on a point of order: I am unable to hear the member standing behind me.
MADAM SPEAKER: I just called Mr De Domenico to order. I remind members of the requirements of standing order 39.
MR CONNOLLY: The Government has maintained the number of police protecting the Canberra community, it has achieved some change in the balance of who pays for those police, and it has achieved budgetary savings of some 2 per cent in each budget, treating the police budget, as Mr Kaine says it should be, like any other budget.
If the coalition's promise of a 10 per cent slashing in revenues to the States and Territories were to occur, that would result in a dramatic budgetary difference to this Territory, equating, when you look at the amount of ACT dollars to Commonwealth dollars - own source revenue to Commonwealth revenue - to a real reduction in a single year of an additional 5 per cent on top of our original 2 per cent cut that is already factored in. It would be impossible for me to assure the community that we would not have to sack police if we had to achieve a 7 per cent cut in one year, which is what your Federal colleagues want us to do.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .