Page 3012 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 14 August 2013

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video


when it is a fixed rail route compared to a bus route. People are prepared to walk or cycle a bit further because they know that the light rail is there and it is a fixed, permanent, reliable, convenient and rapid service. Those are the types of benefits.

The other social benefits that accrue relate to things like the fact that you will see more people living close to the city centre—more people living close to where they work, more people living close to where they shop, more people living close to cultural communities and other recreational, retail and professional services.

These are good things for our city. Those opposite perhaps want to consign Canberrans to a future where you live far away from the city centre and you have to own two, three or four cars just to make your journeys every day, facing increasing costs with petrol, insurance, registration, congestion, loss of time and loss of productivity.

This government does not want that future for our city. The future this government wants for our city is a future where people have fast, reliable, convenient and sustainable public transport, where people do not have to own two or three cars to get around the city, where people do not have to be consigned to living far away from the city centre. We want more affordable housing close to the city centre. A project like capital metro galvanises those outcomes and creates them in a manner that no other transport mode can do.

Crime—statistics

MR GENTLEMAN: My question is to the Attorney-General. Attorney, can you please outline the results of the ACT criminal justice statistical profile for the June 2013 quarter?

MR CORBELL: I am very pleased to report that this Labor government continues to see positive downward trends in personal and property crime. We are seeing continued, sustained downward reductions for property and personal offences, as reported in the statistical profile that I tabled in the Assembly yesterday.

Let me highlight to members some of the improvements in community safety that have been delivered in the past 12 months. First of all, in the area of robberies, including extortion and related offences, robberies have decreased by 35 per cent in the last 12 months. That is 89 fewer robberies over the past 12 months compared to the 12 months previously.

Motor vehicle theft has decreased by 27 per cent in the last 12 months. That equates to 321 fewer Canberrans’ cars being stolen, because of these improvements in community safety. Burglary and break and enter offences have decreased by 14 per cent, with 375 fewer homes burgled or broken into in the past 12 months compared to the 12 months previously.

Assaults have decreased by nine per cent, with 212 fewer offences in the area of assault compared to the 12 months previously. Public order offences are down by nine per cent, with 91 fewer offences. And property damage is down by eight per cent, with 471 fewer offences.


Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video