Ministers statements: Victoria Police
Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (14:12): Good to be back. I rise to update the house on the Andrews government’s very significant investment in Victoria Police, giving them the powers and the investment they need to keep Victorians safe and guns off our streets. We have been busy, we have been very busy – a $4.5 billion investment in Victoria Police, and more than 3600 additional frontline police under our government have been funded. We have also seen new stations funded in the past budget in Point Cook and also in South Melbourne in the Albert Park electorate. I want to thank the efforts of our Victoria Police, because we have seen already a 4.3 per cent decrease in the latest crime stats in the rate of criminal instances. What we have seen is police numbers up and crime down. We see that of course because of the hard work of Victoria Police, and I want to thank them on behalf of the house for the work they do every day and the families who support them to keep us safe. We also know that under those opposite recorded offences went up 20 per cent during their time in office. We know that the Victoria Police budget was slashed by $100 million and not one additional police officer was funded during their time in office.
Our commitment to a national firearms register builds on the work we have already done here in Victoria. We have seen firearm protection orders that are prohibition orders be introduced. Those firearm prohibition orders – some 2000 orders to violent offenders to outlaw motorcycle gangs and counterterrorism persons of interest – you cannot enforce the orders, you cannot deliver on any of those orders and you cannot put them in place unless you invest in Victoria Police. The chief commissioner himself has made the point that firearm probation orders have been a game changer in disrupting and dismantling organised crime in our state. Those opposite sought to water down those laws when they were before this Parliament. Those laws have allowed Victoria Police to seize a record number of illicit firearms in the past year alone. Only Labor can be trusted to invest in Victoria Police so they can keep us safe and have the laws and the powers they need to look out for all Victorians.