Wednesday, 27 November 2024

Police safety

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (19:17): (1332) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Police. Can the minister please take genuine action to support and protect our police in the light of recent violent protests at our major port and a serious assault on a Bendigo police officer simply doing his job? In the past few days protesters have again targeted the operations of the Port of Melbourne. This has cost tens of thousands of dollars in damages and productivity losses. Protesters smashed traffic lights, vandalised shipping containers with graffiti, set rubbish alight, slashed tyres and cut the air lines of trucks. These so-called peaceful protests have put the lives of truck drivers and other road users at risk by cutting the brake lines. This further underscores the need for a permit system for protests in Victoria. Police officers are being called away from their posts in regional Victoria to help with these protests. This is a direct result of inadequate police numbers across the state. We currently have over 1000 vacancies. Last Thursday about 70 police called a stop-work in Bendigo and walked out of the station. Police also walked out in Shepparton. The government failed to reach an agreement and then walked away from the negotiations, passing responsibility to Fair Work Australia.

The government has pushed local police to breaking point, and they are protesting in the Premier’s own backyard of Bendigo. Among them was Leading Senior Constable Bill Edwards, who had been attacked by a motorcyclist two days earlier. He suffered a broken nose, broken teeth and two black eyes. Leading Senior Constable Edwards said he and a colleague had pulled over a motorcyclist who then allegedly attacked them. Another senior constable suffered neck and hip injuries in the incident. Leading Senior Constable Edwards told the media that he agreed 1000 per cent that violence had recently become worse in Bendigo. Police Association of Victoria CEO Wayne Gatt said members faced danger daily. He said there were now two or three aggravated burglaries every night in Bendigo. These statistics are unacceptable. It is not just time for a fair pay deal for police, it is also time to change the laws to improve community safety and reduce the extra burden being placed on police. I have spoken to local police who are very frustrated. They do all the work required to keep the community safe and get offenders off the street, only for them to face court and have a magistrate let them off 24 hours later because the Allan Labor government weakened bail laws. It is time that the Allan Labor government treat our police with the respect they deserve and take genuine action to support them.