Thursday, 21 March 2024

Community safety

Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (14:22): My question is to –

Danny Pearson interjected.

The SPEAKER: Assistant Treasurer!

Brad BATTIN: I would have been thrown out for that. That is what I was talking about.

The SPEAKER: Member for Berwick, I ask you to apologise for casting reflections on the Chair.

Brad BATTIN: I apologise to the Chair.

The SPEAKER: On a question, member for Berwick.

Brad BATTIN: My question is to the Minister for Police. Data released today has revealed that home invasions have increased by 29 per cent in the last 12 months to over 16 home invasions per day or one every 90 minutes. Why are home invasions continuing to rise under your government?

Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (14:23): I thank the member for Berwick for his question. I point out again that the crime statistics that were released today demonstrate that Victoria continues to have a lower youth offence rate than New South Wales, that our crime offence rate continues to be lower than 2019 pre-COVID levels and that our crime rate is –

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, we are talking specifically about home invasions, with one home invasion every 90 minutes in Victoria, and I ask you to direct the minister to answer that question.

The SPEAKER: The minister was being relevant to the question that was asked.

Anthony CARBINES: Operation Trinity, which is a focus of Victoria Police, and Operation Alliance, again a focus of Victoria Police work on aggravated burglaries and youth gangs, have made sure that we have seen over 500 arrests by Victoria Police members to crack down on those who seek to break the law. You cannot do that – you cannot make 5000 arrests around aggravated burglaries and youth gangs – unless you invest in Victoria Police. That is why our government has invested some $4.5 billion to fund an additional 3600 police. Those opposite cut the police budget by $100 million and did not fund one additional police officer in their time in government, and that is why we have seen again the chief commissioner Shane Patton make it very clear today on the radio, as he has on many occasions, that Victoria continues to be a very safe state. The reason that it is a safe state is because we are able to thank our Victoria Police members who provide an emergency response to all Victorians 365 days of the year, and we thank our Victoria Police members for the work that they do.

I take this opportunity further to make a call-out to those in the community – I go out to the police academy every fortnight to see those double squads graduate at the academy to put themselves on the line to keep communities safe in Victoria – to come and make that commitment. We call on all Victorians to give consideration to what they can do to further serve Victoria Police to keep the community safe, to get out there every day and to provide the community with the reassurance that we need.

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, again in relation to relevance, if the minister would like to put the facts on the table, 48 new members in in Victoria Police, 49 members resigned. That is one less in the last fortnight alone.

The SPEAKER: That is not the way to raise a point of order.

Anthony CARBINES: What we know is that there have been some very successful programs run by Victoria Police like our embedded youth outreach program, which has seen an additional $7 million invested in that program for the member for Melton. We are doing that also in Brimbank with my colleague the member for St Albans. We are also doing it in Shepparton because that program is seeing a reduction in youth crime reoffence rates of some 29 per cent. These are the programs that work and are leading the state. These are the programs that see our 48 youth specialist officers embedded with young people and youth workers to ensure that young people get the support that they need. But there must be a balance to hold also to account those who seek to break the law. That is why we have seen some 5000 arrests in relation to the operations that police are able to provide –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: The member for Mildura can leave the chamber for half an hour.

Member for Mildura withdrew from chamber.

Anthony CARBINES: driven and directed by Victoria Police and the chief commissioner because of the resources and the record investment that is provided by our Allan Labor government. I say again on behalf of all members of this house that 365 days of the year, day and night, Victoria Police members are out there keeping our community safe. We thank them. We thank them again, and we thank them again.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick) (14:27): In relation to –

Darren Cheeseman interjected.

The SPEAKER: Member for South Barwon, you can leave the chamber for 90 minutes.

Member for South Barwon withdrew from chamber.

Brad BATTIN: Given that 64 per cent of aggravated burglaries remain unsolved, is the rate of unsolved aggravated burglaries the result of the government’s inability to fill over 1000 Victorian police vacancies?

Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (14:28): I am a bit concerned that the member for Berwick seems to be blaming Victoria Police members. I would like to think that that is not the case.

Brad Battin: On a point of order, Speaker, if you want to put the facts again on the table, it is a thousand vacancies because this government has failed to invest where they need to put police, not those that are doing a wonderful job –

The SPEAKER: The member for Berwick will resume his seat. Please do not raise points of order that are not raised in the correct manner.

James Newbury: On a further point of order, Speaker, on standing order 118, the minister knows not to make an imputation against a member.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order.

Anthony CARBINES: The Victorian government’s Made for More campaign is a reflection of why we are seeing double squads graduate at the police academy every fortnight. I am not sure if the member for Berwick is made for more and I am not sure if the member for Hawthorn is made for more, but we are seeing double squads at our police academy – people putting their hands up to serve the community. We will continue to make sure the police have every resource they need: $214 million for tasers to make sure they have got the tools they need to do the job and legislation in this place around firearm prohibition orders that the chief commissioner says is a game changer to hold those to account. We are making sure through our record investment in Victoria Police that they have the tools they need to do the job, and the 5000 arrests we have seen across aggravated burglaries and across youth crime is a demonstration of the work of Victoria Police, and we thank them every day.