Tuesday, 18 February 2020

Responses

Mr CARROLL (Niddrie—Minister for Crime Prevention, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (19:20): It is my honour to respond to the member for Lara. I had the pleasure of being with the member for Lara last Friday at the sod-turning for the Chisholm Road prison in his electorate, our new maximum security prison that is all about investing for the future, and with the Minister for Police and Emergency Services next to me and her rollout of over 3000 police, we do know we do need to invest in the future.

So the answer to the member for Lara is a big ‘yes’; it would be a pleasure and an honour to meet with the community advisory group. This is a very important community advisory group in the member’s electorate. He has been a great advocate for his community particularly, as he outlined in his contribution, with the opportunities for procurement, and we know through the work of G21 Geelong Regional Opportunities for Work there is all sorts of work we can do to make sure this is not only a win for our corrections system but a win for the local community. I look forward to that meeting in the very near future.

Ms NEVILLE (Bellarine—Minister for Water, Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (19:21): It has made it hard to be as efficient as I normally am, so I have got a number of issues to address tonight. If I could just start with the member for Warrandyte, I just want to be really clear that with decision-making—and it probably also goes for the member for Euroa but I will touch a bit more on her matters as well—the recommendations are made by the CFA. The decisions are made by the CFA. I know that we have seen some people in Canberra who might think about directing people to change recommendations and infrastructure. I do not direct the CFA; in fact I think we have all been criticised for trying to direct the CFA, and we should not take on the CFA. So I do not do that. I take the advice of the CFA. I will of course take up the issues that have been raised by the member for Warrandyte to make sure that the CFA—it is not bureaucrats; it is the CFA, the chief fire officer, deputies, the assistant chief officer, the operation managers who will go out there and talk to the brigade about their issue. I will make sure that happens. It was in my letter. I am disappointed it has not happened, and I will make sure that that occurs.

Similarly for the member for Euroa, firstly, I just want to be very clear that since we came to government we have doubled the budget for equipment and for buildings for the CFA, and we are in the process because basically none of it happened. There was a funding cut. The previous government got rid of the 20-year rule around appliances as well. We used to have a rule. The Labor government then introduced the volunteer emergency services community program under the Bracks-Brumby government. So we have increased the funding to the CFA by 40 per cent to equipment and buildings—doubled that funding. We are absolutely investing in new buildings and equipment. Nagambie and Broadford I think in the member’s electorate are being rebuilt. They are under construction; it is fantastic to see. So on those stations that the member has raised I will seek advice and get the CFA to provide the advice to me about that.

I will just speak on Pyalong because I know the member raised this in the media this week. I made some inquiries about it and I was told by the CFA that originally when a toilet was to be funded the brigade had said no. I have gone back to double-check that and to see if that is still their position, because there are some quite challenging septic issues there, but I have gone back on that. But let us be really clear: we are doubling the investment in appliances, we have doubled the investment in our build. We will continue to do that, and I am positive we will continue to do it at an increased rate.

In terms of the member for Morwell in terms of policing, I know particularly family violence is where we are seeing the biggest growth unfortunately in the Latrobe Valley in terms of family violence and the crime rate increase. That is why it was one of the first priority areas for the specialist family violence police as well as the additional police around family violence, but I take the point, and that is why we do need more police—no question. We have actually got 2600 more police now than when we came to government, and we have funded a staffing allocation model. We have got about another 1200 to go yet. I am hoping to make some announcements soon. That model takes account of crime rates, it takes account of regional communities, all of that, and I am hopeful that we will continue to see improved policing numbers in communities like the Latrobe Valley and other regional parts of Victoria.

A number of other members have raised issues, and I will pass those issues on to the relevant ministers.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The house now stands adjourned until tomorrow.

House adjourned 7.25 pm.