Mr STIRLING - 1999-10-13
We have real concerns about the state of the Territory’s police force at the present time. Fifty police officers have resigned in the last 12 months. The current recruit training course will not cover the numbers that have left or retired. I ask the minister, why is the resignation rate so high and what is the government doing to stem it?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the opposition continues the line of deceit that it has been pursuing, not mentioning any figure but presenting as fact what they perceive, and making a statement of fact that the resignation rate is horrendous, the situation is bad - this is all they can focus on, the negative - without anything to substantiate it and also without, of course, any representation to me as minister to seek some advice. Some facts would destroy the story. They wouldn’t want to destroy the story, before getting up here and trying to do a bit of grandstanding, having passed their course at the School of Deceit.
The resources we have put into the police budget over the last few years have just about doubled. That’s the commitment that the policies of this government have brought to bear and the benefit that has accrued to Territorians.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The question went directly to the resignation rate during of the last 12 months and what he is doing about it.
Mr SPEAKER: The minister has some leeway in answering, as I’ve indicated before. But I ask the minister to get to the point of the answer as quickly as possible.
Mr REED: Mr Speaker, with respect, the doubling of the budget, I would have thought, has very much to do with it. Had we halved the budget and the numbers had gone down dramatically, then of course you’d have something to talk about. But on account of how we’ve doubled the budget, you ain’t got nowhere to go. That’s your problem, so you’re trying to create stories ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr PALMER: A point of order, Mr Speaker. A medical emergency is arising due to the state of the opposition member’s blood pressure. I ask that you, for his own protection, insist that he desist.
Mr REED: This is the opposition police spokesman who, when people have had their property trashed, their cars stolen and burnt, their houses trashed, all their personal possessions taken, refers on ABC radio to the damage and loss they suffer as ‘the lesser property-type offences, the nuisance stuff that causes aggro for the victim’. Of course it causes aggro for the victim, you goose! That’s why we have mandatory sentencing. They want to serve up a bit of that aggro to those people who commit crimes against people’s property, that you consider to be ‘nuisance stuff’. You have no respect for Territorians’ property.
Mandatory sentencing and other initiatives that have been introduced through the policies of this government to address the issues that the member for Nhulunbuy referred to. His questions clearly demonstrate Labor’s lack of policies. Mandatory sentencing, for example, was tested at the last election. It was resoundingly supported by Territorians. There was in inference in the question today: ‘Why can’t the government explain why the costs of running prisons have gone up?’ Well, we can explain it very easily. We explained it to Territorians before the last election. It is because we are giving aggro to those people who burn people’s cars and we are giving a bit of aggro to those people who get in and trash people’s houses, that you don’t care about.
You have no respect for Territorians. You try to cover that up by coming in here, having gone to the Clare Martin School of Deceit, and being totally deceitful, trying to project a story and put in what you consider to be statements of fact when they are indeed not. He cannot be trusted.
I will seek from the Police Commissioner the attrition rates over the last 12 months. I will seek also advice in relation to the training courses which were put in place and the recruitment programs. They’re still going. In fact, I recall that at the commencement of the construction of Tent City we had trainees there. They were from what? A new recruitment course. They are currently going through the process of training to do what? To become policeman. And they are using what? They are using the increased funding provided by this government to provide more police.
Here comes the failed candidate. Here, quick, ask him this!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Chief Minister is a little out of line.
Mr REED: To complete my remarks, once the honourable member for Nhulunbuy shows a bit of grace and respect towards Territorians and doesn’t explain away as a ‘nuisance’ the impact that the trashing of people’s property has, once he recognises that Territorians want people to be punished for the crimes that they commit, and once he recognises that we have a professional police force which is increasing in numbers as a result of the policies of this government, he will much better understand what the circumstances really are and better respect the hardworking police and other Northern Territory public servants who do so much to keep the Territory a safe place.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the opposition continues the line of deceit that it has been pursuing, not mentioning any figure but presenting as fact what they perceive, and making a statement of fact that the resignation rate is horrendous, the situation is bad - this is all they can focus on, the negative - without anything to substantiate it and also without, of course, any representation to me as minister to seek some advice. Some facts would destroy the story. They wouldn’t want to destroy the story, before getting up here and trying to do a bit of grandstanding, having passed their course at the School of Deceit.
The resources we have put into the police budget over the last few years have just about doubled. That’s the commitment that the policies of this government have brought to bear and the benefit that has accrued to Territorians.
Mr STIRLING: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The question went directly to the resignation rate during of the last 12 months and what he is doing about it.
Mr SPEAKER: The minister has some leeway in answering, as I’ve indicated before. But I ask the minister to get to the point of the answer as quickly as possible.
Mr REED: Mr Speaker, with respect, the doubling of the budget, I would have thought, has very much to do with it. Had we halved the budget and the numbers had gone down dramatically, then of course you’d have something to talk about. But on account of how we’ve doubled the budget, you ain’t got nowhere to go. That’s your problem, so you’re trying to create stories ...
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Mr PALMER: A point of order, Mr Speaker. A medical emergency is arising due to the state of the opposition member’s blood pressure. I ask that you, for his own protection, insist that he desist.
Mr REED: This is the opposition police spokesman who, when people have had their property trashed, their cars stolen and burnt, their houses trashed, all their personal possessions taken, refers on ABC radio to the damage and loss they suffer as ‘the lesser property-type offences, the nuisance stuff that causes aggro for the victim’. Of course it causes aggro for the victim, you goose! That’s why we have mandatory sentencing. They want to serve up a bit of that aggro to those people who commit crimes against people’s property, that you consider to be ‘nuisance stuff’. You have no respect for Territorians’ property.
Mandatory sentencing and other initiatives that have been introduced through the policies of this government to address the issues that the member for Nhulunbuy referred to. His questions clearly demonstrate Labor’s lack of policies. Mandatory sentencing, for example, was tested at the last election. It was resoundingly supported by Territorians. There was in inference in the question today: ‘Why can’t the government explain why the costs of running prisons have gone up?’ Well, we can explain it very easily. We explained it to Territorians before the last election. It is because we are giving aggro to those people who burn people’s cars and we are giving a bit of aggro to those people who get in and trash people’s houses, that you don’t care about.
You have no respect for Territorians. You try to cover that up by coming in here, having gone to the Clare Martin School of Deceit, and being totally deceitful, trying to project a story and put in what you consider to be statements of fact when they are indeed not. He cannot be trusted.
I will seek from the Police Commissioner the attrition rates over the last 12 months. I will seek also advice in relation to the training courses which were put in place and the recruitment programs. They’re still going. In fact, I recall that at the commencement of the construction of Tent City we had trainees there. They were from what? A new recruitment course. They are currently going through the process of training to do what? To become policeman. And they are using what? They are using the increased funding provided by this government to provide more police.
Here comes the failed candidate. Here, quick, ask him this!
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The Deputy Chief Minister is a little out of line.
Mr REED: To complete my remarks, once the honourable member for Nhulunbuy shows a bit of grace and respect towards Territorians and doesn’t explain away as a ‘nuisance’ the impact that the trashing of people’s property has, once he recognises that Territorians want people to be punished for the crimes that they commit, and once he recognises that we have a professional police force which is increasing in numbers as a result of the policies of this government, he will much better understand what the circumstances really are and better respect the hardworking police and other Northern Territory public servants who do so much to keep the Territory a safe place.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016