Hansard 8 Oct 1997
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8 Oct 1997 Petitions 3655 WEDNESDAY, 8 OCTOBER 1997 Wahroonga From Mr Dollin (1,602 petitioners) requesting the House to support the retention of the Wahroonga units and cottages under Mr SPEAKER (Hon. N. J. Turner, Nicklin) the control of Queensland Health and that the read prayers and took the chair at 9.30 a.m. land not be transferred to any other department and further that the House direct the Government not to demolish the units prior PRIVILEGE to the next State election. Comments by Ms M. Walsh Mr GRICE (Broadwater) (9.31 a.m.): At Program for Heroin Addicts about 2.15 p.m. on Thursday, 1 October last, From Mr Healy (68 petitioners) requesting my electorate secretary received a telephone the House to ensure that the State and call from a person who identified herself as Federal Governments of Australia immediately Melinda Walsh and who wished to speak with send appropriately qualified people to Israel to me. I was absent from my office at that time. Ms Walsh informed my electorate secretary look at the program to help heroin addicts, as that she was engaged in some commercial recommended by Dr Andre Waismann, to evaluate and learn about the program and, if it litigation with Mr Bob Ell, whom she described is as good as it seems, then to quickly set up as a "big developer", and that that legal action trials in all States of Australia. followed an alleged cancellation of some contractual arrangement that she had with Mr Ell. Ms Walsh, whom I do not know and to the Birthing Centres in Public Hospitals best of my knowledge have never met, From Mr Horan (121 petitioners) informed my electorate secretary that, if I did requesting the House to provide birth centres not encourage Mr Ell to resolve that matter in all public hospitals. immediately, certain information about my alleged relationship with Mr Ell would be brought to the attention of the Labor Party. Tenancy Management of Public Housing From Mr Mackenroth (1,307 petitioners) Ms Walsh claimed that certain information regarding what she alleged were my requesting the House to ensure that (a) the association and business dealings with Mr Ell Department of Public Works and Housing had been forwarded already to the shadow immediately abandon the pilot program which Attorney-General, Mr Foley. I have had no will see the outsourcing of some tenancy business dealings with Mr Ell or his companies. management functions of public housing to Having been informed of that message by my real estate agents and some community electorate secretary, I immediately placed it in housing groups; (b) all aspects of public the hands of the police. I did not speak to Ms housing provision remain in the public sector; Walsh, nor have I spoken with Mr Ell about it. I and (c) the Department of Public Works and regard this matter as a most serious form of Housing consult with public tenants and attempted intimidation of a member of housing organisations to develop improved Parliament. In my years of professional sport methods of tenancy management by the and other business dealings, I have never department. been prepared to accept quietly any attack on people in my employ by those who seek to Gatton-Gympie Gas Pipeline attack or threaten me and I will not now. From Miss Simpson (1,080 petitioners) requesting the House to ensure that the Allgas PETITIONS Energy Ltd gas transmission pipeline from Gatton to Gympie follow existing road or rail The Clerk announced the receipt of the corridors where it will have minimal impact on following petitions— the environment and private properties. Browns Plains Police Station Bribie Island State Schools From Mr Barton (9,075 petitioners) From Mr J. H. Sullivan (212 petitioners) requesting the House to restore Browns Plains requesting the House to place Bribie Island Police Station to a 24-hour station, operating State Schools (Bribie Island State Primary seven days a week, with additional police School, Banksia Beach State School and being recruited to Browns Plains as the Bribie Island State High School) in the population increases. education district of Murrumba. 3656 Ministerial Statement 8 Oct 1997 Community Legal Centres policing strategies and crime issues in each From Mr Wells (17 petitioners) requesting region. Additional professional guidance and the House to ensure that (a) community legal support will be provided by ACRO, which will centres continue to receive funding of oversee the 12-month program. $275,000 from the State Government and The CPP program is designed to $500,000 through the Legal Aid Commission autonomously manage and implement local Queensland which covers 15 centres; and (b) crime prevention efforts but will also be backed that it be increased to a level which provides up by a high-powered central board, which will adequate and proper funding to unfunded and provide the top-level Government muscle to poorly funded services. assist those local initiatives to get off the Petitions received. ground. Importantly, this structure will provide the greater organisational support and direction to CPPs that the Criminal Justice PAPERS Commission recently identified as lacking in The following papers were laid on the the existing community consultative committee table— system. The CJC's report acknowledged that Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for The the CPP scheme "has the potential to address Arts (Mrs Sheldon)— many of the problems identified", giving the CPP concept the big tick. Queensland Treasury—Annual Report for 1996-97 Today I am pleased to report another Response from Attorney-General and Minister significant major milestone, and significant for Justice (Mr Beanland) to Parliamentary policy initiative in its own right, related to this Criminal Justice Committee Report No. 38— important project. Better coordination of The Accountability of the CJC to the PCJC programs across Government with the Response from Attorney-General and Minister integration of criminal justice and social for Justice (Mr Beanland) to Parliamentary development systems would support the Criminal Justice Committee Report No. 39— achievement of consistency, minimise The CJC's Jurisdiction over Elected Officials. duplication and ensure a more efficient utilisation of the available pool of resources. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT With this in mind, the Government has decided, as part of the CPP project, to Community Policing Partnership; Social instigate a new executive Social Development Development Coordinator Coordinator role to pro-actively manage the Hon. T. R. COOPER (Crows Nest— implementation of this program between Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Government, local authorities and community Minister for Racing) (9.36 a.m.), by leave: The groups. The Social Development Coordinator centrepiece of the coalition's crime prevention will in turn fulfil a key position on the central and community policing policy is the creation board overseeing the project and is critical to of a structured and resourced approach to its success. Put simply, the SDC will be working crime prevention that has never been tried to point available resources in the most before. From this policy has evolved the effective direction possible, instead of having Community Policing Partnership program them work at cross-purposes or heading off on which will be trialled in seven locations around different tangents when the overall goal of the State. The CPP program presents a addressing underlying social issues is the formula and a mechanism which ensure that same. the necessary support for locally devised crime The Social Development Coordinator will prevention initiatives is provided at all levels. act as Chairman of the Chief Executive First of all, local mayors are drawn into the Officers Steering Committee on Social equation as chairman of the CPP to provide Development and will contribute to social policy drive, leadership, continuity and direction to development and the evaluation of existing community initiatives. In addition, the State is programs, as well as maintaining a pro-active providing $50,000 in each of the seven CPP approach to resolving identified problems. I am areas to fund a full-time coordinator's position. pleased to advise the House that Mr Tony Hill This will ensure that essential work at the has been appointed to the Social coalface level is done, and done Development Coordinator role. Mr Hill has had professionally, and locally generated initiatives extensive experience in policy formulation and are driven from a central point. Senior police implementation both as a senior manager will be required to serve on the CPP board, within the correctional services system and as providing high-level support and input on a QCSC commissioner. He has also worked as 8 Oct 1997 Ministerial Statement 3657 a field officer in both the child welfare and launch small, low-orbit satellites, the first of Aboriginal affairs portfolios. which is to be in orbit by the year 2001, and This initiative recognises the importance will be called FedSat. of social justice issues in the whole crime An Opposition member: Who? prevention equation. This development is Mr SLACK: FedSat. responsive to the myriad social issues that impact on crime and the criminal justice Opposition members interjected. system that will reverberate right down to the Mr SLACK: It is interesting to hear the local level in each of the seven CPP trial areas. Opposition members' reactions to positive The CPP program has generated a significant statements in this House. All I can detect from amount of interest, not just here in the Opposition is negativity, negativity, Queensland but also from observers interstate negativity. Whenever the Government gets up and internationally who recognise that this and makes announcements—which it is level of commitment and this Government's always doing—about initiatives that are approach to crime prevention is at the cutting positive to the benefit of jobs in Queensland, edge.