❓ Dr. Honey questions the Police Minister about the Premier's visit to Carnarvon to address crime concerns, contrasting it with a colleague's claim that WA doesn't have a crime problem. The Minister's response focuses on alcohol-related crime in Carnarvon.
AnsweredQoN 79Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CRIME —
CARNARVON
79. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to the contribution to the Premier's Statement by the Minister
for Environment on 15 February 2023 whereby the minister argued that our
state does not have a crime problem and claimed that the opposition was
exaggerating the problem —
� the opposition has resorted to
extreme, overblown, false language to describe what is happening in Western Australia
�
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Just wait for order, please, member.
Dr D.J. HONEY : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
(1) If the
position of the minister's cabinet colleague is correct, why did the
Premier, only two days after the no-crime-problem assertions in Parliament, go
to Carnarvon to discuss the community's concerns over the level of
crime it is experiencing?
(2) Are people
from many other parts of WA expressing genuine concern over the lawlessness and
crime waves they are experiencing, or are they all just indulging in extreme,
overblown, false language over a non-existent problem?
The
SPEAKER : Minister, before I give
you the call, I just caution the member that that was a very lengthy question and it actually contained quite a lot of
argument. Generally, yes, a little bit of preamble and a little bit of
explanation that links to the question is in order, but repetitive
argument in the question is not in order.
CARNARVON
79. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Minister for Police:
I
refer to the contribution to the Premier's Statement by the Minister
for Environment on 15 February 2023 whereby the minister argued that our
state does not have a crime problem and claimed that the opposition was
exaggerating the problem —
� the opposition has resorted to
extreme, overblown, false language to describe what is happening in Western Australia
�
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Just wait for order, please, member.
Dr D.J. HONEY : Thank you,
Madam Speaker.
(1) If the
position of the minister's cabinet colleague is correct, why did the
Premier, only two days after the no-crime-problem assertions in Parliament, go
to Carnarvon to discuss the community's concerns over the level of
crime it is experiencing?
(2) Are people
from many other parts of WA expressing genuine concern over the lawlessness and
crime waves they are experiencing, or are they all just indulging in extreme,
overblown, false language over a non-existent problem?
The
SPEAKER : Minister, before I give
you the call, I just caution the member that that was a very lengthy question and it actually contained quite a lot of
argument. Generally, yes, a little bit of preamble and a little bit of
explanation that links to the question is in order, but repetitive
argument in the question is not in order.
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Thank
you, Speaker. I have to admit that I kind of almost nodded off in the middle
and may not have captured everything that the member was getting at, but I noticed
''Carnarvon'' in there, which offers me the opportunity to
respond to endorse and back the Premier's observation that he made
yesterday and again today quite powerfully. People in communities who are
complaining vociferously about levels of crime may want to consider that when
the government responds, the response may not be what they want. It may not be
what they expected.
I was in Carnarvon a week before the
Minister for Racing and Gaming was there. I spoke with some of the same people.
We met with the shire president, community members and the police. I guarantee
that the police said to me exactly what they said to the Premier. The liquor
accord has been dysfunctional. There has not been a liquor accord in Carnarvon.
Dr D.J. Honey : That is the
only problem in Carnarvon, is it?
Mr P. PAPALIA : What drives
crime in Carnarvon is undeniably the harmful use of alcohol.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Member for Cottesloe, you should get the opportunity for a supplementary but if
you incessantly interject, I will consider that you have already had it.
Mr P. PAPALIA : Alcohol is
behind a lot of the problems. The police brought that to my attention. The
Premier referred to the fact that there have been restrictions at the time of
funerals. The police made the observation that there is a dramatic drop in
crime and presentations at the hospital whenever there is a closure of alcohol
because of funerals. That gives the member a lead as to where a response might go.
Police
officers in Carnarvon are doing a wonderful job, as they are right around the
state. They are doing an incredible job. It is a difficult and
challenging environment. They are doing a fantastic job. I wish the member
would not undermine their efforts through continually coming in here and
suggesting that somehow they are failing.
you, Speaker. I have to admit that I kind of almost nodded off in the middle
and may not have captured everything that the member was getting at, but I noticed
''Carnarvon'' in there, which offers me the opportunity to
respond to endorse and back the Premier's observation that he made
yesterday and again today quite powerfully. People in communities who are
complaining vociferously about levels of crime may want to consider that when
the government responds, the response may not be what they want. It may not be
what they expected.
I was in Carnarvon a week before the
Minister for Racing and Gaming was there. I spoke with some of the same people.
We met with the shire president, community members and the police. I guarantee
that the police said to me exactly what they said to the Premier. The liquor
accord has been dysfunctional. There has not been a liquor accord in Carnarvon.
Dr D.J. Honey : That is the
only problem in Carnarvon, is it?
Mr P. PAPALIA : What drives
crime in Carnarvon is undeniably the harmful use of alcohol.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Member for Cottesloe, you should get the opportunity for a supplementary but if
you incessantly interject, I will consider that you have already had it.
Mr P. PAPALIA : Alcohol is
behind a lot of the problems. The police brought that to my attention. The
Premier referred to the fact that there have been restrictions at the time of
funerals. The police made the observation that there is a dramatic drop in
crime and presentations at the hospital whenever there is a closure of alcohol
because of funerals. That gives the member a lead as to where a response might go.
Police
officers in Carnarvon are doing a wonderful job, as they are right around the
state. They are doing an incredible job. It is a difficult and
challenging environment. They are doing a fantastic job. I wish the member
would not undermine their efforts through continually coming in here and
suggesting that somehow they are failing.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.