Page 3583 - Week 11 - Thursday, 22 September 2005
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What this resume shows is the extent to which my government has, to a large measure, addressed the shortfalls of previous governments in relation to ensuring that the community is safe. The work, the expenditure and the resourcing that we have provided to the Emergency Services Authority, to the ambulance, to the urban fire service, the Rural Fire Service and to the police really show up as embarrassing the lack of commitment and the lack of resources and funding that previous governments provided in these areas.
One only has to look at the level of expenditure just in relation, say, to the Emergency Services Authority. Just compare the level of expenditure and commitment which my government has shown to the Emergency Services Authority, to the urban fire service, to the engagement of additional full-time staff, volunteer staff, additional police, additional firefighters, additional ambulance officers. It really does highlight the complete lack of commitment and the hypocrisy of those opposite in relation to the safety of this community. Whether it be in relation to crime, whether it be in relation to the urban fire service or the Rural Fire Service, whether it be in the provision of ambulance services, this government’s record in relation to our commitment to each of these areas leaves as an embarrassing hole the complete lack of commitment by those opposite to any of these particular issues.
The level of expenditure just in relation to capital really must be of an order of two or three times greater than what was ever provided by those opposite. We have now addressed some of that inheritance. Our inheritance from those opposite is now a matter of, I think, some shame. The complete lack of capacity and preparedness of the Emergency Services Authority that we inherited from you really is to your eternal shame and people will remember that.
Similarly, there is a continual bashing of our services. We are aware of the state of preparedness of our police force and the crime rates. My colleague the Minister for Police and Emergency Services will go into the enormous success of the police. During question time today he put particularly well the point about the continuous bashing, the gleeful grabbing of any opportunity to bash our police.
I have never known an opposition so prepared to put the boot into the firefighters, to put the boot into the police, to put the boot into ambulance drivers, to put the boot into everybody who volunteers or works to protect this community. You really are quite shameful in how you attack our hardworking services.
MADAM TEMPORARY DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mrs Burke): Order! The Chief Minister’s time has expired.
MR STEFANIAK (Ginninderra) (4.26): Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I was getting a bit concerned because for about the first 12 minutes of his speech the Chief Minister was quite reasoned. But he then went off on a complete tangent. He referred to my colleague as the anti-police minister and he referred to a lack of commitment by previous governments. It is not just a matter of money, although, as Mr Smyth will tell you, we had more sworn police officers in 1998 than we did in June 2005. But let us talk about police-bashing; let us talk about not supporting those fine men and women, that thin blue line—which is getting thinner—that protects our community.
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