❓ A parliamentary question regarding the benefits of strengthened police stop-and-search powers, followed by a lengthy and somewhat combative response from the Minister for Police outlining new legislation addressing antisocial behaviour, crime, and drug laws.
AnsweredQoN 791Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
POLICE — STOP AND SEARCH POWERS
As a member of Parliament, I am proud to be part of a government that is finally giving our police the powers they need to better protect our community. Can the minister please inform the house of the benefits that will result from the excellent initiative announced at the weekend to strengthen police officers’ stop-and-search powers? Several members interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON
As a member of Parliament, I am proud to be part of a government that is finally giving our police the powers they need to better protect our community. Can the minister please inform the house of the benefits that will result from the excellent initiative announced at the weekend to strengthen police officers’ stop-and-search powers? Several members interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON
AnswerView source ↗
I had a job hearing the question, so I am not aware of it altogether, but I think I got the general gist of it. Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Several members interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I had a job hearing the question, so I am not aware of it altogether, but I think I got the general gist of it. Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I had a job hearing the question, so I am not aware of it altogether, but I think I got the general gist of it. Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
I had a job hearing the question, so I am not aware of it altogether, but I think I got the general gist of it. Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Several members interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I had a job hearing the question, so I am not aware of it altogether, but I think I got the general gist of it. Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON replied: I had a job hearing the question, so I am not aware of it altogether, but I think I got the general gist of it. Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
I had a job hearing the question, so I am not aware of it altogether, but I think I got the general gist of it. Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr J.R. Quigley : You wrote it. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I did not, actually. The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Order, members! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I am very proud to be part of a Liberal-National government that is taking a strong stance on antisocial behaviour, on crime, on violence and on the sort of thuggery we have experienced over the past nine or 10 years—that area in which the previous government just let things go. I am delighted that this week we will introduce at least three bills into this house that will deal with antisocial behaviour, with crime in general and with the sort of thuggery we have seen and experienced over the years—the sorts of things that have meant, for instance, that Northbridge has become a no-go area to some people. As the Premier says, we will reclaim Northbridge so that decent families can enjoy a good time there. It is the trifecta this week. First of all we will repeal the wishy-washy cannabis laws, the soft-on-drugs laws, that the previous government brought in. We will ensure that people who deal in that drug will be dealt with under the Criminal Code. However, we will be compassionate, because we will ensure that if a juvenile is caught in possession of less than 10 grams, on the first two occasions he will receive cautions; and if an adult is caught, on the first occasion he will get one caution. If they re-offend after that, they will face criminal sanctions. However, if after three years they have not committed another offence involving cannabis, their conviction will be spent. That will give them a chance in the future. The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The second law will provide powers to the police to stop and search people, which is what the police need. They have asked for those powers, and we will deliver them. Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr E.S. Ripper : You could have voted for it in November last year. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : The Labor party did not talk in November about stop and search powers. Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr E.S. Ripper : We did; have a look at the bill. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I have. That flip-flop, flimsy thing the member for Girrawheen brought in was not worth the paper it was written on. Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr E.S. Ripper interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Order, Leader of the Opposition! Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Kwinana! I can see that the Minister for Police inspires members on both sides of this place. I sometimes need some inspiration. Minister, please continue with your answer to the question. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker, I certainly will because — Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Ms A.J.G. MacTiernan interjected. The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Order, member for Armadale! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : This will be a lovely place when the member for Armadale has gone; it will be so much quieter, I must say. We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
We will target people who carry weapons in our society. Recently, guns have been fired in the streets of Perth. That is not acceptable to this government. It may have been to the previous government, but it is not acceptable to this government. We will target anyone who carries a weapon anywhere near a place of public entertainment. We will designate specific areas in which police will be allowed — Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr J.R. Quigley interjected. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : That is the bloke who criticises police all the time; he reckons they are all corrupt. The member for Mindarie should be ashamed of himself. Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Several members interjected. The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : We have a few minutes left of question time. I am sure that members on both sides of this place would like to have more opportunities to ask questions. We would get through question time much more rapidly if it were not for the number of interjections. Interjections are part of this place, and I accept that, but I do not believe the number of interjections at the moment is acceptable. Minister, I would like to hear your concluding remarks. Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : Thank you, Mr Speaker. The searches that will take place will not be intrusive. They will be the sort that people would find in any airport, whether domestic or international, throughout the whole world, where metal detectors can detect whether somebody is carrying a weapon. Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr E.S. Ripper : That is what we proposed in November. The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The SPEAKER : Leader of the Opposition! Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
Mr R.F. JOHNSON : I proposed it long before that, and I will tell the Leader of the Opposition when it was. This is an essential part of combating the number of weapons that are carried in our society. The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
The third piece of legislation will amend the Weapons Act. We will ensure that nobody is allowed to sell or give weapons to juveniles, which is a very important part of the legislation because we do not want young people being able to get hold of dangerous weapons. We will deal with that. We will also ensure that people caught carrying a weapon will face far more severe penalties than they have in the past. We are bringing in this week three special pieces of legislation that will be able to be used not only in Northbridge, but also anywhere in Western Australia where a designated area is declared. I know that the Leader of the Opposition has some concern that perhaps the Commissioner of Police will simply have massive powers to declare an area to be a designated area. That will not actually be the case. He will have to get the approval of the minister; therefore, the executive government will have control, once again through the minister, over the commissioner’s being able to ask for and declare a designated area for these purposes of stop and search. They are three great pieces of legislation. I hope the opposition will support them.
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