❓ The Minister for Police addresses the impact of Kimberley floods on Kununurra, including increased antisocial behaviour and strain on police resources. He defends his decision to refuse a visit from the member for Girrawheen due to the crisis.
AnsweredQoN 186Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
KIMBERLEY FLOODS — POLICE RESOURCES
I am all too aware of the effect natural floods have had on communities in the north west. As the minister knows, the north east of Western Australia has also been significantly affected by floods. Can the minister please update the house on the aftermath of the significant flooding in the Kimberley region in the past month, particularly the efforts of local police dealing with a significant number of Indigenous communities relocating to Kununurra? Mr R.F. JOHNSON
I am all too aware of the effect natural floods have had on communities in the north west. As the minister knows, the north east of Western Australia has also been significantly affected by floods. Can the minister please update the house on the aftermath of the significant flooding in the Kimberley region in the past month, particularly the efforts of local police dealing with a significant number of Indigenous communities relocating to Kununurra? Mr R.F. JOHNSON
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for North West for the question and, indeed, his interest in and commitment to the people in the Kimberley and other areas. There has been a significant increase, unfortunately, in antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, common assault and alcohol abuse. Garrjang Village currently has over 300 persons registered there, including 170 children. The mess is feeding over 500 people on occasions. The increased population is impacting upon not only police workloads but also our emergency service workloads. As a result of antisocial behaviour and three serious assaults on 19 March 2011, further voluntary alcohol restrictions were requested by police and agreed to by three licensees in Kununurra, restricting the sale of wine, spirits and full-strength beer. This was a police strategy to limit the levels of intoxication observed during antisocial behaviour incidents. Additional police resources were sourced from Perth, the Pilbara and within the Kimberley. A total of eight officers commenced at Kununurra on 21 March 2011. These resources include Aboriginal police liaison officers. Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I thank the member for North West for the question and, indeed, his interest in and commitment to the people in the Kimberley and other areas. There has been a significant increase, unfortunately, in antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, common assault and alcohol abuse. Garrjang Village currently has over 300 persons registered there, including 170 children. The mess is feeding over 500 people on occasions. The increased population is impacting upon not only police workloads but also our emergency service workloads. As a result of antisocial behaviour and three serious assaults on 19 March 2011, further voluntary alcohol restrictions were requested by police and agreed to by three licensees in Kununurra, restricting the sale of wine, spirits and full-strength beer. This was a police strategy to limit the levels of intoxication observed during antisocial behaviour incidents. Additional police resources were sourced from Perth, the Pilbara and within the Kimberley. A total of eight officers commenced at Kununurra on 21 March 2011. These resources include Aboriginal police liaison officers. Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
I thank the member for North West for the question and, indeed, his interest in and commitment to the people in the Kimberley and other areas. There has been a significant increase, unfortunately, in antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, common assault and alcohol abuse. Garrjang Village currently has over 300 persons registered there, including 170 children. The mess is feeding over 500 people on occasions. The increased population is impacting upon not only police workloads but also our emergency service workloads. As a result of antisocial behaviour and three serious assaults on 19 March 2011, further voluntary alcohol restrictions were requested by police and agreed to by three licensees in Kununurra, restricting the sale of wine, spirits and full-strength beer. This was a police strategy to limit the levels of intoxication observed during antisocial behaviour incidents. Additional police resources were sourced from Perth, the Pilbara and within the Kimberley. A total of eight officers commenced at Kununurra on 21 March 2011. These resources include Aboriginal police liaison officers. Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
There has been a significant increase, unfortunately, in antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, common assault and alcohol abuse. Garrjang Village currently has over 300 persons registered there, including 170 children. The mess is feeding over 500 people on occasions. The increased population is impacting upon not only police workloads but also our emergency service workloads. As a result of antisocial behaviour and three serious assaults on 19 March 2011, further voluntary alcohol restrictions were requested by police and agreed to by three licensees in Kununurra, restricting the sale of wine, spirits and full-strength beer. This was a police strategy to limit the levels of intoxication observed during antisocial behaviour incidents. Additional police resources were sourced from Perth, the Pilbara and within the Kimberley. A total of eight officers commenced at Kununurra on 21 March 2011. These resources include Aboriginal police liaison officers. Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I thank the member for North West for the question and, indeed, his interest in and commitment to the people in the Kimberley and other areas. There has been a significant increase, unfortunately, in antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, common assault and alcohol abuse. Garrjang Village currently has over 300 persons registered there, including 170 children. The mess is feeding over 500 people on occasions. The increased population is impacting upon not only police workloads but also our emergency service workloads. As a result of antisocial behaviour and three serious assaults on 19 March 2011, further voluntary alcohol restrictions were requested by police and agreed to by three licensees in Kununurra, restricting the sale of wine, spirits and full-strength beer. This was a police strategy to limit the levels of intoxication observed during antisocial behaviour incidents. Additional police resources were sourced from Perth, the Pilbara and within the Kimberley. A total of eight officers commenced at Kununurra on 21 March 2011. These resources include Aboriginal police liaison officers. Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
I thank the member for North West for the question and, indeed, his interest in and commitment to the people in the Kimberley and other areas. There has been a significant increase, unfortunately, in antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, common assault and alcohol abuse. Garrjang Village currently has over 300 persons registered there, including 170 children. The mess is feeding over 500 people on occasions. The increased population is impacting upon not only police workloads but also our emergency service workloads. As a result of antisocial behaviour and three serious assaults on 19 March 2011, further voluntary alcohol restrictions were requested by police and agreed to by three licensees in Kununurra, restricting the sale of wine, spirits and full-strength beer. This was a police strategy to limit the levels of intoxication observed during antisocial behaviour incidents. Additional police resources were sourced from Perth, the Pilbara and within the Kimberley. A total of eight officers commenced at Kununurra on 21 March 2011. These resources include Aboriginal police liaison officers. Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
There has been a significant increase, unfortunately, in antisocial behaviour, domestic violence, common assault and alcohol abuse. Garrjang Village currently has over 300 persons registered there, including 170 children. The mess is feeding over 500 people on occasions. The increased population is impacting upon not only police workloads but also our emergency service workloads. As a result of antisocial behaviour and three serious assaults on 19 March 2011, further voluntary alcohol restrictions were requested by police and agreed to by three licensees in Kununurra, restricting the sale of wine, spirits and full-strength beer. This was a police strategy to limit the levels of intoxication observed during antisocial behaviour incidents. Additional police resources were sourced from Perth, the Pilbara and within the Kimberley. A total of eight officers commenced at Kununurra on 21 March 2011. These resources include Aboriginal police liaison officers. Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Kununurra police formed a local management team at the commencement of the event to collaboratively address the issues. This group meets on a daily basis and comprises representatives from Kununurra and Warmun police, local government authorities, the Departments for Child Protection, Indigenous Affairs, Housing, and Education. All those agencies are involved. Although police are managing the situation extremely well, I am unwilling to authorise any visits that are not a matter of significant importance or urgency. Unfortunately, the precious princess from Girrawheen asked to visit the Kununurra police station while all these disasters were taking place. I refused that visit because our police officers were stretched to the limit. Unfortunately, the weather — Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr E.S. Ripper : Was it on police advice that you made that decision? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself. Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr E.S. Ripper : So, you did not have police advice it would be an operational problem? Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I made that decision myself because I was made aware of the stress and the workload — Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Ms M.M. Quirk interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : It is a great shame that the weather upset the travel plans of the member for Girrawheen! As I say, I refused on this one occasion a visit to that police station because I thought it would be disruptive. I did not want our police officers distracted from the important work they do. What did the member for Girrawheen do? She created a tantrum, and then she issued another press release. No regard to the environment, no regard to trees, and very little regard to the truth! She then went on ABC radio and said that it was disgraceful—all she wanted was to speak for 20 minutes in the police station. When has the member for Girrawheen ever spent 20 minutes in any of our police stations? Never. Whenever she leaves, there always seems to be problems. They seem to follow her around. She did not understand the tremendous workload of our police officers, and indeed our emergency service officers in Kununurra, with the influx of 350 people from Warmun—there are about 500 now. The last thing they wanted was a royal visit from the member for Girrawheen! That is why I refused. I am more than happy, when things get back to normal and police and emergency services do not have this sort of pressure on them, for the member to visit Kununurra. I doubt whether that will meet her travel plans. Do not have these tantrums, member for Girrawheen. The world does not revolve around her. The important people in this area are the residents and the people who have had to be transferred from Warmun and other areas to reside in Kununurra. They are the first priority, not the member for Girrawheen; and she never will be!
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