Northern Victoria Region
Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (12:50): (561) My question is to the Minister for Police on behalf of local police officers who are concerned about recent changes to the public drunkenness laws. As it stands, in rural and regional areas police have no powers to deal with public drunkenness. Initially the government said the police would not be involved in such cases, only to later suggest a role as second responders. This lack of planning and confusion has left many puzzled about the practicality of these reforms. With the new sobering centre in Collingwood, it is clear that the government has prioritised services in metropolitan Melbourne and not given much thought to how police in rural and regional areas are to respond. The laws have already come into effect, yet support services are still being rolled out. People living in rural and regional areas of all backgrounds deserve the same level of support. The Police Association Victoria has described the new laws as a tragedy waiting to happen. I ask the minister to respond to their questions and outline what support services are available to assist police dealing with public drunkenness in Northern Victoria?