Thursday, 12 September 2024

 Anthony CARBINES (Ivanhoe – Minister for Police, Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Racing) (10:12): The behaviour we saw at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday was appalling. These hypocrites claim to support peace and advocate against violence, but they behaved in a way that was anything but peaceful, throwing rocks at police officers and horses, throwing acid and spitting at them. It was disgusting, and they are criminal acts. There were 42 arrests; there will be more. Twenty-seven police were injured. Victoria Police were there to keep everyone safe and secure and to preserve the right to peaceful protest, and we cannot thank them enough for their service in the face of such behaviour. We appreciate the work they do day in, day out.

I wish everyone in Parliament felt the same way about our police. But not content with their members skipping Parliament to join these protests, the Greens political party have now tried to force IBAC into furthering their political stunt with an inquiry. Let me be clear: the government and I utterly back Victoria Police’s response yesterday. We have been crystal clear that those who are coming to a legitimate event to be idiots will be dealt with swiftly by police, and that is exactly what we have seen. I once again urge people who come to the city to cause trouble, to terrify people, to wear masks to hide their identity and to cause violence and trouble to stay away, otherwise you will be dealt with.

If you see a member of Victoria Police in the coming weeks, stop to thank them. Stop to thank them and the families who support them. They are great Victorians. They do a great job. They are highly trained and highly resourced. We thank them every day for the work that they do, and we will not stand for violence and bad behaviour in our state.