❓ A parliamentary question regarding the Cook Labor government's support for the police force and community safety laws, followed by the Minister's response highlighting investments in police resources and accusing the opposition of undermining gun laws.
AnsweredQoN 310Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Police—Community safety laws
310. Mr Frank Paolino to
the Minister for Police:
Before I ask my
question, I acknowledge all the wonderful Western Australian police officers who
serve our community. They certainly serve my community and all our communities right
across Western Australia, and I thank them for the fantastic job that they do.
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to community safety through a strong, cutting-edge
police force.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house how this
government is supporting our police force to keep the Western Australian
community safe?
(2) Can the minister advise the house whether he
is aware of any attempts to wind back important community safety laws?
310. Mr Frank Paolino to
the Minister for Police:
Before I ask my
question, I acknowledge all the wonderful Western Australian police officers who
serve our community. They certainly serve my community and all our communities right
across Western Australia, and I thank them for the fantastic job that they do.
I refer to the Cook
Labor government's commitment to community safety through a strong, cutting-edge
police force.
(1) Can the minister outline to the house how this
government is supporting our police force to keep the Western Australian
community safe?
(2) Can the minister advise the house whether he
is aware of any attempts to wind back important community safety laws?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I thank the member for Mount
Lawley for that very important question and for his advocacy for our men and
women who wear blue and keep us safe. I appreciate that. As the member knows,
we have more police officers on the beat than ever before—7,300 strong—we
have a police academy that is now training 1,000 new recruits a year and we are
investing like never before in new technology for our police. The member will
recall the $15.6 million in upgrades to the Joondalup facility so that we can give
regional young men and women an opportunity to join
the force and have free accommodation in Perth while undergoing their training
in Joondalup. That is a very good initiative for both the police and the
regions. In the last two months I have attended the opening of two brand-new
police stations. The Speaker himself will be aware of one of them in
Forrestfield, and of course the other happened to be in the electorate of
Kwinana. Fantastic! It is the Baldivis Police Station, but it is a great
addition to the community in Kwinana.
Ms Rita Saffioti: He needed that primary vote!
Mr Reece Whitby: That is right.
At the same time, in
that period, we unveiled a fleet of new vehicles for the rapid apprehension
squad. They are the most elite and technologically advanced police vehicles
that exist. They are virtually police stations on wheels. They allow officers
to work from their vehicles without having to go back and forth from the
station, keeping more officers on the front line more often. At the Baldivis Police
Station I also unveiled an incident command vehicle, which is a quite
impressive facility. It is like a major police station that can be transported anywhere
in the state for major operations. Whether it is for a missing person or a
state emergency, it can be deployed across Western Australia. There are also
two forward command vehicles with that same capability that have satellite linkages
and advanced communication, really extending the impact of our police force and
giving our men and women in blue the latest technology to operate.
It is important to
keep the community safe, which is why we can question members opposite about
their commitment to community safety. There will be a very important vote in
Parliament tomorrow in the other place. It is an opportunity for members
opposite—I look to the Leader of the Opposition in particular—to
show real leadership. The last time this Parliament had the opportunity to vote
on gun laws and support the regulations that underwrite those gun laws, we had
silence from the Leader of the Opposition—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Reece Whitby: The opposition voted no to our safer
gun laws. The opposition wanted to undermine them.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Reece Whitby: Quite frankly, it was astounding that
the member who represents the suburb of Floreat not only stayed silent, but
also voted to undermine those gun laws. The opportunity is there.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Reece Whitby: This is a very significant—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Minister for Police, just let everyone
settle for a second and then you can carry on.
Mr Reece Whitby: Thank you, Speaker. This is a very
significant and important moment for the Parliament tomorrow. If members vote
to disallow these regulations, they will undermine the very foundation of our
new gun laws. It will mean that the police will no longer be able to remove
firearms in circumstances of family and domestic violence. It means that the
police will no longer be able to remove firearms from criminal elements and
outlaw gangs. More than that, members—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Minister for Police, this is how
it grows.
Mr Reece Whitby: More than that, more than undermining
the ability of police to keep us safe, it will actually bring chaos to gun
owners because what has not been explained by the proponents of this
disallowance motion is that—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson interjected.
The Speaker: Minister!
Several members interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the opposition! The minister
is about to complete his remarks.
Mr Reece Whitby: This is important because it not only
supports our police, but also law-abiding sensible gun owners who are doing the
right thing because if we remove—
Several members
interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: They do not want to hear this, but
this is the truth.
Several members
interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: If we cannot have the current act in
operation, we cannot go back to the 1973 legislation, so gun owners will not be
able to operate.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt and Leader
of the Opposition!
Mr Reece Whitby: They will not be able to go to the
gun club, sell a firearm or go shooting or hunting.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition and member for
Central Wheatbelt, please stop interjecting.
Mr Reece Whitby: The opposition's actions would
impinge on law-abiding gun owners.
The other thing I
will bring up very briefly is the appalling situation on social media. Deepfake
videos have been broadcast and the police and Consumer Protection have been
forced to speak up about this today. They are deepfake videos in which police
are being impersonated and information about the gun laws, which the police say
is false and is leading to unnecessary anxiety in the community, are being
broadcast. There will be a protest at this place tomorrow and the organisation
involved in that is also involved in spreading these deepfake videos. I ask
members opposite: Do you disown and condemn the use of deepfake videos to
promote these messages that are going out on social media? This is an
organisation that—
Several members
interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: It is a very important question. The
police have gone public today to criticise and make the community aware that
there are deepfake videos impersonating police officers, misinforming the
public about this very crucial issue. Everyone in Parliament should condemn
that activity, like the police have. This is a test of the Leader of the
Opposition. He has the opportunity—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Reece Whitby: The Leader of the Opposition has the
opportunity to stand up for his community.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Thank you, minister.
Mr Reece Whitby: Can I conclude?
The Speaker: Please do.
Mr Reece Whitby: I will end with this very important
message—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Reece Whitby: You've got nothing, mate. You've got
nothing.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Cockburn!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition and member for
Cockburn, none of you is helping. Please conclude your remarks, minister.
Mr Reece Whitby: There
is an opportunity for the Leader of the Opposition to do the right thing
tomorrow and stand up for his community and for safer guns. The test is on him.
Several
members interjected.
The Speaker: The member for Kalamunda.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition's continual interjecting
is not helping. Members of the government, neither is yours. Let the member for
Kalamunda ask his question in silence, please.
Lawley for that very important question and for his advocacy for our men and
women who wear blue and keep us safe. I appreciate that. As the member knows,
we have more police officers on the beat than ever before—7,300 strong—we
have a police academy that is now training 1,000 new recruits a year and we are
investing like never before in new technology for our police. The member will
recall the $15.6 million in upgrades to the Joondalup facility so that we can give
regional young men and women an opportunity to join
the force and have free accommodation in Perth while undergoing their training
in Joondalup. That is a very good initiative for both the police and the
regions. In the last two months I have attended the opening of two brand-new
police stations. The Speaker himself will be aware of one of them in
Forrestfield, and of course the other happened to be in the electorate of
Kwinana. Fantastic! It is the Baldivis Police Station, but it is a great
addition to the community in Kwinana.
Ms Rita Saffioti: He needed that primary vote!
Mr Reece Whitby: That is right.
At the same time, in
that period, we unveiled a fleet of new vehicles for the rapid apprehension
squad. They are the most elite and technologically advanced police vehicles
that exist. They are virtually police stations on wheels. They allow officers
to work from their vehicles without having to go back and forth from the
station, keeping more officers on the front line more often. At the Baldivis Police
Station I also unveiled an incident command vehicle, which is a quite
impressive facility. It is like a major police station that can be transported anywhere
in the state for major operations. Whether it is for a missing person or a
state emergency, it can be deployed across Western Australia. There are also
two forward command vehicles with that same capability that have satellite linkages
and advanced communication, really extending the impact of our police force and
giving our men and women in blue the latest technology to operate.
It is important to
keep the community safe, which is why we can question members opposite about
their commitment to community safety. There will be a very important vote in
Parliament tomorrow in the other place. It is an opportunity for members
opposite—I look to the Leader of the Opposition in particular—to
show real leadership. The last time this Parliament had the opportunity to vote
on gun laws and support the regulations that underwrite those gun laws, we had
silence from the Leader of the Opposition—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Reece Whitby: The opposition voted no to our safer
gun laws. The opposition wanted to undermine them.
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Reece Whitby: Quite frankly, it was astounding that
the member who represents the suburb of Floreat not only stayed silent, but
also voted to undermine those gun laws. The opportunity is there.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Reece Whitby: This is a very significant—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Minister for Police, just let everyone
settle for a second and then you can carry on.
Mr Reece Whitby: Thank you, Speaker. This is a very
significant and important moment for the Parliament tomorrow. If members vote
to disallow these regulations, they will undermine the very foundation of our
new gun laws. It will mean that the police will no longer be able to remove
firearms in circumstances of family and domestic violence. It means that the
police will no longer be able to remove firearms from criminal elements and
outlaw gangs. More than that, members—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Minister for Police, this is how
it grows.
Mr Reece Whitby: More than that, more than undermining
the ability of police to keep us safe, it will actually bring chaos to gun
owners because what has not been explained by the proponents of this
disallowance motion is that—
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Lachlan Hunter interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Ms Amber-Jade Sanderson interjected.
The Speaker: Minister!
Several members interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members of the opposition! The minister
is about to complete his remarks.
Mr Reece Whitby: This is important because it not only
supports our police, but also law-abiding sensible gun owners who are doing the
right thing because if we remove—
Several members
interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: They do not want to hear this, but
this is the truth.
Several members
interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: If we cannot have the current act in
operation, we cannot go back to the 1973 legislation, so gun owners will not be
able to operate.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt and Leader
of the Opposition!
Mr Reece Whitby: They will not be able to go to the
gun club, sell a firearm or go shooting or hunting.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition and member for
Central Wheatbelt, please stop interjecting.
Mr Reece Whitby: The opposition's actions would
impinge on law-abiding gun owners.
The other thing I
will bring up very briefly is the appalling situation on social media. Deepfake
videos have been broadcast and the police and Consumer Protection have been
forced to speak up about this today. They are deepfake videos in which police
are being impersonated and information about the gun laws, which the police say
is false and is leading to unnecessary anxiety in the community, are being
broadcast. There will be a protest at this place tomorrow and the organisation
involved in that is also involved in spreading these deepfake videos. I ask
members opposite: Do you disown and condemn the use of deepfake videos to
promote these messages that are going out on social media? This is an
organisation that—
Several members
interjected.
Mr Reece Whitby: It is a very important question. The
police have gone public today to criticise and make the community aware that
there are deepfake videos impersonating police officers, misinforming the
public about this very crucial issue. Everyone in Parliament should condemn
that activity, like the police have. This is a test of the Leader of the
Opposition. He has the opportunity—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Members!
Mr Reece Whitby: The Leader of the Opposition has the
opportunity to stand up for his community.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Thank you, minister.
Mr Reece Whitby: Can I conclude?
The Speaker: Please do.
Mr Reece Whitby: I will end with this very important
message—
Mr Basil Zempilas interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Member for Central Wheatbelt!
Mr Reece Whitby: You've got nothing, mate. You've got
nothing.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Members! Member for Cockburn!
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: Leader of the Opposition and member for
Cockburn, none of you is helping. Please conclude your remarks, minister.
Mr Reece Whitby: There
is an opportunity for the Leader of the Opposition to do the right thing
tomorrow and stand up for his community and for safer guns. The test is on him.
Several
members interjected.
The Speaker: The member for Kalamunda.
Several members
interjected.
The Speaker: The Leader of the Opposition's continual interjecting
is not helping. Members of the government, neither is yours. Let the member for
Kalamunda ask his question in silence, please.
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