Mr. Johnson questions the accuracy of the Police Commissioner's statement regarding aggravated assault figures, citing a discrepancy between the Commissioner's claim and official police statistics. The Minister defends the government's record on addressing violence, particularly domestic violence, attributing increased reporting to proactive measures.

AnsweredQoN 439Legislative Assembly
Asked
5 September 2007
Portfolio
Police and Emergency Services

QuestionView source ↗

COMMISSIONER OF POLICE - AGGRAVATED ASSAULT FIGURES
I am very happy to make up for the deficiencies of the government by asking the first question, which was due to be the second question. I refer to the Commissioner of Police’s comments on 720 ABC Radio on 29 August when he said that the overall aggravated assault figures for Western Australia have increased only one per cent in the past couple of years. He said, “We have had a population increase of something like two or three per cent, so that is a positive out of this.” The opposition has provided the official police figures from the official police website to the minister. That is where we got this graph from. If we substitute the words “aggravated assault” for “violent bashings”, it comes under this column I am pointing to. (1) Can the minister explain how the police commissioner reached the aggravated assault figure, given that his official police statistics clearly indicate that aggravated assaults have increased 10 per cent in the past year alone and a disgusting 49 per cent since 2000? (2) If the minister cannot explain how this figure has been reached, does he concede that the police commissioner is wrong in what he has told the people of Western Australia and that the violent bashings, including against the elderly and children, are soaring under his management? Mr J.C. KOBELKE

AnswerView source ↗

(1)-(2) There are two parts to the question. One relates to the statistics. We debated that yesterday. For the benefit of the member, I will reiterate some of those issues to do with the statistics. The first part was attributed to a quote from the commissioner. Given that the member has misquoted so many things, I do not know whether that quote is accurate. Mr R.F. Johnson : You have seen it. Your staff would have given you a copy of it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do know that the commissioner has acknowledged publicly that aggravated assaults have gone up. The total number of non-domestic assaults has been flatlining. If we take them per head of population, they have not been so bad. As I said yesterday, the issue is that following - Mr P.D. Omodei : Haven’t been so bad! They have increased 49 per cent since 2000! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
(1) Can the minister explain how the police commissioner reached the aggravated assault figure, given that his official police statistics clearly indicate that aggravated assaults have increased 10 per cent in the past year alone and a disgusting 49 per cent since 2000? (2) If the minister cannot explain how this figure has been reached, does he concede that the police commissioner is wrong in what he has told the people of Western Australia and that the violent bashings, including against the elderly and children, are soaring under his management? Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: (1)-(2) There are two parts to the question. One relates to the statistics. We debated that yesterday. For the benefit of the member, I will reiterate some of those issues to do with the statistics. The first part was attributed to a quote from the commissioner. Given that the member has misquoted so many things, I do not know whether that quote is accurate. Mr R.F. Johnson : You have seen it. Your staff would have given you a copy of it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do know that the commissioner has acknowledged publicly that aggravated assaults have gone up. The total number of non-domestic assaults has been flatlining. If we take them per head of population, they have not been so bad. As I said yesterday, the issue is that following - Mr P.D. Omodei : Haven’t been so bad! They have increased 49 per cent since 2000! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
(2) If the minister cannot explain how this figure has been reached, does he concede that the police commissioner is wrong in what he has told the people of Western Australia and that the violent bashings, including against the elderly and children, are soaring under his management? Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: (1)-(2) There are two parts to the question. One relates to the statistics. We debated that yesterday. For the benefit of the member, I will reiterate some of those issues to do with the statistics. The first part was attributed to a quote from the commissioner. Given that the member has misquoted so many things, I do not know whether that quote is accurate. Mr R.F. Johnson : You have seen it. Your staff would have given you a copy of it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do know that the commissioner has acknowledged publicly that aggravated assaults have gone up. The total number of non-domestic assaults has been flatlining. If we take them per head of population, they have not been so bad. As I said yesterday, the issue is that following - Mr P.D. Omodei : Haven’t been so bad! They have increased 49 per cent since 2000! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE replied: (1)-(2) There are two parts to the question. One relates to the statistics. We debated that yesterday. For the benefit of the member, I will reiterate some of those issues to do with the statistics. The first part was attributed to a quote from the commissioner. Given that the member has misquoted so many things, I do not know whether that quote is accurate. Mr R.F. Johnson : You have seen it. Your staff would have given you a copy of it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do know that the commissioner has acknowledged publicly that aggravated assaults have gone up. The total number of non-domestic assaults has been flatlining. If we take them per head of population, they have not been so bad. As I said yesterday, the issue is that following - Mr P.D. Omodei : Haven’t been so bad! They have increased 49 per cent since 2000! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
(1)-(2) There are two parts to the question. One relates to the statistics. We debated that yesterday. For the benefit of the member, I will reiterate some of those issues to do with the statistics. The first part was attributed to a quote from the commissioner. Given that the member has misquoted so many things, I do not know whether that quote is accurate. Mr R.F. Johnson : You have seen it. Your staff would have given you a copy of it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do know that the commissioner has acknowledged publicly that aggravated assaults have gone up. The total number of non-domestic assaults has been flatlining. If we take them per head of population, they have not been so bad. As I said yesterday, the issue is that following - Mr P.D. Omodei : Haven’t been so bad! They have increased 49 per cent since 2000! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Mr R.F. Johnson : You have seen it. Your staff would have given you a copy of it. Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do know that the commissioner has acknowledged publicly that aggravated assaults have gone up. The total number of non-domestic assaults has been flatlining. If we take them per head of population, they have not been so bad. As I said yesterday, the issue is that following - Mr P.D. Omodei : Haven’t been so bad! They have increased 49 per cent since 2000! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do know that the commissioner has acknowledged publicly that aggravated assaults have gone up. The total number of non-domestic assaults has been flatlining. If we take them per head of population, they have not been so bad. As I said yesterday, the issue is that following - Mr P.D. Omodei : Haven’t been so bad! They have increased 49 per cent since 2000! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Mr P.D. Omodei : Haven’t been so bad! They have increased 49 per cent since 2000! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : The Leader of the Opposition obviously did not listen to the debate yesterday. Yesterday I pointed out that when we brought in the new legislation and the police became proactive on family violence, the number of incidents of family violence - Point of Order Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I rise on a point of order. The minister is quoting from the uncorrected Hansard proof, which is not allowed under standing orders in this chamber. He is still reading it now. That is what he was quoting from. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : I was unaware of the document that the minister was referring to. I am sure that he was paraphrasing the comments he made yesterday. If he was not, he knows what the rules are. Questions without Notice Resumed Mr J.C. KOBELKE : We can see how frightened the opposition is of statistics. The opposition is worried about anything that paints the true picture. Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Mr R.F. Johnson : You were quoting from the uncorrected Hansard . Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : I do not even have it open. The figures I used yesterday show that in the three years after 2004, the incidence of family violence tripled. It did not go up by 40 per cent; it tripled. The legislation that we put through the Parliament requires police to investigate reports of domestic violence. We have put in place a range of administrative procedures to help people when domestic violence occurs. Commonwealth and state advertisements asked people to report domestic violence and the number of reported incidences of violence tripled from 5 500 to 16 000 in three years. Clearly, the numbers went up. They went up because this government said “no” to violence against women and this government said “no” to domestic violence. The former government turned away from domestic violence and sexual assault; it covered it up. When we took proactive action, the numbers tripled. Of course they went up, because we have police out there actually reporting those incidents. Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Several members interjected. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
Mr J.C. KOBELKE : As I pointed out yesterday, when someone wants to make an insurance claim for burglary or car theft, they must report it. Therefore, there is a very high level of reporting of those crimes. However, there is a very low level of reporting of domestic violence and sexual assaults because people do not come forward. This government’s actions have resulted in people coming forward and in the police taking action, which has seen a huge increase in the number of reported assaults. We stand by our record that this government, as opposed to the former government, has taken action against violence and sexual assault. That is why the figures are going up. The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER : The little trait that some members have of thinking it is clever to try to just heckle from the sidelines is a very unattractive one and it is clearly unparliamentary under the standing orders of the house. Unfortunately, the member for Nedlands seems to be a serial offender and she is called to order for the first time. I ask other members to desist from interjecting.

Explore WA Government Data

Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.

Explore more