Mrs HICKEY - 1995-05-23
Last Thursday, the Treasurer told the 7.30 Report that an additional 100 police will be recruited. In his budget speech, the Treasurer announced that he had allocated $2.7m to cover the cost of police already recruited and to implement the recommendations of the McAulay/Bowe report. How does he propose to cover the costs of recruiting 100 more police or can he confirm that he was wrong to say that the government will recruit 100 additional police?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I will refer that question to the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services.
Mr Ede: You are the one who said it!
Mr Coulter: He is the minister responsible and he will give you the answer.
Mr Ede: You said it.
Mr MANZIE (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Mr Speaker, over the last few months, the opposition has been misleading the community in relation to police and police recruitment.
Mr Ede: He said it.
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Mr MANZIE: I think that it is important to put on the record that the government accepted the recommendations of the McAulay/Bowe report in relation to the personnel of the police force. We increased the establishment of the police force by 40 members and, from January to January, we recruited over 100 personnel. We have a recruit school of 30-odd constables in training at present, and 2 more recruit schools of 56 constables will start in July. Recruitment of 26 auxiliaries will start in July and, in January next year, another recruit school will start. Over a period of 2 years, in excess of 200 personnel will have been recruited. We have authorised also an extra establishment of 26 members who can be recruited and trained to allow for losses by natural attrition.
Mr Ede: They are all walking out!
Mr MANZIE: The Leader of the Opposition laughs and says that they are all worn out. This is the member for Stuart. Let us remember that this is the member who criticised police publicly after the Nyirripi incident. He accused them of entering people's houses without authorisation and of hassling Aboriginal people at Nyirripi.
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The minister is telling outrageous, straight-out barefaced lies. If he wants to do that, he can raise a motion under standing order 62. He can do it that way, but not in Question Time.
Mr SPEAKER: It is very difficult for me to judge whether what the minister is saying is correct. The Leader of the Opposition has an opportunity to make a personal explanation at some stage if he so chooses.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, in response to the off-the-cuff remark that they `are all worn out', I make the point that members of the police force are very hardworking and they deserve the support of all members, particularly the member for Stuart because he is the member who told police in Alice Springs, on the radio, that there was a 2.5% cut in the police service budget this financial year. He cannot deny that. At no time did he ask anyone whether that was true. He simply went public and said that it was.
Mr Ede: The Treasurer announced it.
Mr MANZIE: The Treasurer has never said that.
This was the Leader of the Opposition being responsible. He did not stand up and acknowledge that he had been wrong, and that he forgot to ask about that. In fact, the police received an extra $2.5m, but he did not tell anyone that or apologise for misleading the community.
Mr Stirling: You are wrong.
Mr MANZIE: What do you mean by saying it is wrong? Do you mean that the police did not receive an extra $2.5m?
Mr Ede interjecting.
Page 571
Mr MANZIE: You cannot remember what you said. I am sure that, in the press gallery now, there are media personnel who interviewed you. I have transcripts of your saying it. However, I have no transcript of your saying to the people of the Northern Territory that you are sorry that you misled them by telling a fib, because you were ignorant and did not find out the truth but instead just made something up, which is what you do usually. You did not say that, to enable people to get a true picture of where we are going with the police.
The government strongly supports police recruitment. We have given a commitment, both in support of the McAulay/Bowe report and in dollar terms. An extra $2.5m has been allocated this financial year to allow for increased recruitment, and there will be an extra $2.7m next financial year to ensure our continued support of police in the Northern Territory.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, I will refer that question to the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services.
Mr Ede: You are the one who said it!
Mr Coulter: He is the minister responsible and he will give you the answer.
Mr Ede: You said it.
Mr MANZIE (Police, Fire and Emergency Services): Mr Speaker, over the last few months, the opposition has been misleading the community in relation to police and police recruitment.
Mr Ede: He said it.
Page 570
Mr MANZIE: I think that it is important to put on the record that the government accepted the recommendations of the McAulay/Bowe report in relation to the personnel of the police force. We increased the establishment of the police force by 40 members and, from January to January, we recruited over 100 personnel. We have a recruit school of 30-odd constables in training at present, and 2 more recruit schools of 56 constables will start in July. Recruitment of 26 auxiliaries will start in July and, in January next year, another recruit school will start. Over a period of 2 years, in excess of 200 personnel will have been recruited. We have authorised also an extra establishment of 26 members who can be recruited and trained to allow for losses by natural attrition.
Mr Ede: They are all walking out!
Mr MANZIE: The Leader of the Opposition laughs and says that they are all worn out. This is the member for Stuart. Let us remember that this is the member who criticised police publicly after the Nyirripi incident. He accused them of entering people's houses without authorisation and of hassling Aboriginal people at Nyirripi.
Mr EDE: A point of order, Mr Speaker! The minister is telling outrageous, straight-out barefaced lies. If he wants to do that, he can raise a motion under standing order 62. He can do it that way, but not in Question Time.
Mr SPEAKER: It is very difficult for me to judge whether what the minister is saying is correct. The Leader of the Opposition has an opportunity to make a personal explanation at some stage if he so chooses.
Mr MANZIE: Mr Speaker, in response to the off-the-cuff remark that they `are all worn out', I make the point that members of the police force are very hardworking and they deserve the support of all members, particularly the member for Stuart because he is the member who told police in Alice Springs, on the radio, that there was a 2.5% cut in the police service budget this financial year. He cannot deny that. At no time did he ask anyone whether that was true. He simply went public and said that it was.
Mr Ede: The Treasurer announced it.
Mr MANZIE: The Treasurer has never said that.
This was the Leader of the Opposition being responsible. He did not stand up and acknowledge that he had been wrong, and that he forgot to ask about that. In fact, the police received an extra $2.5m, but he did not tell anyone that or apologise for misleading the community.
Mr Stirling: You are wrong.
Mr MANZIE: What do you mean by saying it is wrong? Do you mean that the police did not receive an extra $2.5m?
Mr Ede interjecting.
Page 571
Mr MANZIE: You cannot remember what you said. I am sure that, in the press gallery now, there are media personnel who interviewed you. I have transcripts of your saying it. However, I have no transcript of your saying to the people of the Northern Territory that you are sorry that you misled them by telling a fib, because you were ignorant and did not find out the truth but instead just made something up, which is what you do usually. You did not say that, to enable people to get a true picture of where we are going with the police.
The government strongly supports police recruitment. We have given a commitment, both in support of the McAulay/Bowe report and in dollar terms. An extra $2.5m has been allocated this financial year to allow for increased recruitment, and there will be an extra $2.7m next financial year to ensure our continued support of police in the Northern Territory.
Page 572
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016