Page 3219 - Week 09 - Tuesday, 19 August 2008

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For priority 1, tier 2, we expect 90 per cent of all those calls to be responded to within 12 minutes. Police are now achieving close to 100 per cent within that 12-minute period. The priority 2 and priority 3 areas are also particularly pleasing. Priority 2 has always been the challenging area. I am pleased to say that in 2006-07, they achieved 80 per cent within 20 minutes; the target was 60. They are now achieving closer to 90 per cent within 20.

This highlights the very timely levels of services we are now getting from our police service. And it is only because this government has been prepared to put more police on the beat to make that very significant investment, approximately $30 million per annum, to increase police attendance.

It disappoints me that those opposite do not seem to particularly care about these improvements. For year after year we have heard the commentary from Mr Pratt and others about their concern about lack of responsiveness by the police. Where are they when the police deliver? They should be congratulating ACT Policing for the very significant efforts they have made to improve their response times.

We will be working even harder into the future to continue to improve police response times. Members will be aware that the government has announced its intention to provide funding for the Gungahlin police station to operate on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week basis. That means an extra 24 police; it means an extra two patrol cars to look after the Gungahlin area on a 24/7 basis. That does not just mean better response times for Gungahlin; it also means better response times for the Belconnen region because it means that Belconnen station will not have to respond to calls in Gungahlin outside normal operating hours.

Those are the achievements that we have seen in response to the government’s investment in police resources—better response times, timely response times and a stronger police presence for our community.

Gas-fired power station

MR PRATT: My question is to the Minister for Health, Ms Gallagher. Minister, following your announcement that the health impact assessment steering group would be disbanded, two of the highly regarded experts on the group have made public statements condemning your decision. In the Canberra Times yesterday, Professor Capon and Dr Kelleher, in a joint letter, wrote, among other things, that by disbanding the HIASG “it is clear that the ACT government have lost the trust of the community in the planning process for this development”. Minister, hasn’t your government lost the trust not only of the community but also of the independent experts that you, yourself, had appointed? It is very sad.

MS GALLAGHER: I thank Mr Pratt for the question. It is a good one to get. When we look at the campaign material that you were doorknocking around Tuggeranong we see that it said, “Why won’t the government commit to an environmental impact statement?” There was criticism in your media release when we announced the health impact assessment saying that it did not go far enough. Mr Seselja: “narrow terms of


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