Page 3490 - Week 08 - Thursday, 23 August 2012
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average. That is a great result for our community. That means hundreds of fewer cars being stolen every year. And we are seeing thousands fewer homes being broken into every year. This is a great result for our community and a result I know the community welcomes.
Of course, we intend to build further on these excellent results through the property crime reduction strategy, which is focusing on further reductions in a range of property crimes, including a further 10 per cent reduction in burglary and a further 20 per cent reduction in motor vehicle theft by December 2015. Those are just a range of issues that the government is tackling in the Justice and Community Safety portfolio. Of course, my colleague Dr Bourke will talk about corrections.
I will respond briefly to the accusations from Mr Smyth in relation to the ESA training centre. I am sorry to hear that he has bought the myth about the tents at the ESA training centre. The tents at the ESA training centre are part of the USAR cache, which is based at the moment at the training centre. They are being used for training. The tents are decontamination tents and they are used as part of USAR training. Not surprisingly, they are erected at the training centre for training purposes, but they are not in any way being provided as a result of any lack of space at the training centre. I have made inquiries on that front and I am advised by the ESA Commissioner that any claims that they have been erected due to a so-called lack of space are completely false.
The government remains committed to continuing its strong record of investment in justice and community safety in the territory. I was delighted earlier this month to travel to the new Tidbinbilla RFS station. It is a great outcome for our community, the Tidbinbilla RFS station—a purpose-built RFS station for the Tidbinbilla RFS brigade. I spoke to the volunteers at the Tidbinbilla RFS station. They are absolutely over the moon about the facility that they have there. They have got a purpose-built kitchen, a training facility and a four-bay vehicle area. They have got an excellent hardstand. They have got every facility that they could ever want.
It is a great outcome for the Tidbinbilla RFS brigade. Compliments on the work of my portfolio and the government’s decision to invest in that facility were numerous at the opening. I am delighted that the government has been able to support the Tidbinbilla RFS brigade in making sure that they have the capability they need to do their important work as volunteers protecting that very important part of the urban-rural interface here in the ACT.
The work of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate is wide ranging, but our commitment and our investments are clear. The results are being delivered, whether it is in the courts, whether it is on the ground when it comes to emergency services or whether it is in reductions in crime. Work is ongoing and it is delivering real outcomes for the Canberra community, making Canberra even stronger.
MS BRESNAN (Brindabella) (10.30): I will just talk to the corrections aspect of the JACS budget. The first issue I would like to address is the provision of a therapeutic environment for detainees suffering acute mental illness. The crisis support unit is not adequate for this purpose and the Hamburger review asked for the directorate to improve this part of the AMC.
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