Canberra Liberals MLA James Milligan is Shadow Minister for Police and Emergency Services.
I was at the Royal Canberra Show recently, along with many Canberrans, and noticed the presence of the ACT Police and, of course, Constable Kenny, the ACT Policing koala character, used to educate children on a range of safety messages.
Constable Kenny Koala and the work the ACT police branch does to promote safety awareness to young children are just one of many activities our hardworking front-line officers engage in to ensure the ongoing safety of the community. The police work closely in partnership with the Canberra Police Community Youth Club, Neighbourhood Watch, and Crime Stoppers, among others, to strengthen co-operations and communication with all the members of the Canberran community.
It is therefore shocking to me that this Labor-Greens government has chosen to not make their safety and well-being a first priority.
In the last few weeks, we have heard about the reduction of staffing at the Civic Police Station, with most staff moved out to Barton. This was followed a week later by the complete closure of the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre (JESC), and all Gungahlin police officers now having to work out of the Belconnen station. Meanwhile, the Rural Fire Service has lived in a demountable in the car park behind the JESC, an untenable situation at the best of times. And we are waiting to hear about the safety of the Woden Police Station.
The Civic Police Station was declared no longer a safe workplace and not-fit-for-purpose by the Chief Police Officer on February 7, due to water damage by rain. What transpired during the course of the following days, was that the ACT Policing service had been calling for repairs and upgrades to the building since 2017!
Meanwhile, the Gungahlin JESC, which has suffered from overcrowding for over a decade, was found to have lead dust and diesel particulates in the ceiling. I have been fighting to have this building upgraded, and the RFS and Fire & Rescue crews moved out to better premises, since my election in 2016. In the 2020 election, the government finally promised to upgrade the building, and money was promised in 2021-22, but has yet to be spent.
I asked a question about this of the Minister [Mick Gentleman] not long ago, and the response was that it was ‘anticipated’ that it would be done by the fourth quarter of 2024. Yet in March last year, he promised that they would be in no later than mid-2024. What is obvious from this ever-changing timeline, and what all Canberrans know, is that the resourcing of our police and emergency services is not a priority for this government.
And it would transpire that the Woden Police station also has significant problems. You can be sure I will follow this up in the Assembly in the coming weeks.
Whilst this Labor/Greens Government continues to prioritise everything but our frontline officers, the Canberra Liberals understand the basic needs for the safety of our community, and have long fought for not only more police officers in the ACT but for our police to have the resources they need.
More initiatives and announcements across the Police and Emergency Services will follow as we head into the election. The Canberra Liberals take the safety of our city seriously. And we appreciate the amazing work our frontline officers do, not just in policing and fire and rescue, but in their engagement in partnerships beyond the immediate call of their work.
