Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

In the spirit of the motion, I would like to not only continue the sentiment about paying homage and giving recognition to those police officers who have served our community and paid the ultimate sacrifice but also recognise the service of every other serving police officer. The sole purpose they have committed themselves to in their professional lives, and the word we should use is 'service', is to protect our community. Everybody in this chamber shares the sentiments and the spirit of the motion and, in particular, the acknowledgement and recognition of that service. What they do is not only for the immediate community and those they are charged to protect but also for the Australian community. They bind us and provide us with the safety and security on a daily basis which—let's face it—we too often take for granted but which is foundational to our freedom and having a country that we can all feel safe and confident in. That doesn't mean that we should discard in any way the very real challenges and threats and perils that police put themselves in and the situations that they face. Everybody here understands that you cannot have a safe and free society without people who are prepared to serve the community and, if necessary, to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The hope is always that there has been a significant reduction in the number of police deaths that have occurred in this country. Over a long time frame you can actually say that that is occurring, but that should never diminish the memory of those people who have died in the service of our community. In researching this motion, I looked at some of the research data that has been available as a consequence of police deaths and what has been driving those deaths in the past. It also partly informs what we should be doing to address it and tackle it to make sure it doesn't occur into the future. The data is basically showing that there has been a decline, particularly in accidental deaths. This has particularly been driven by a change in motor vehicle safety, which is a very important thing, as well as the use and power of technology. But we should always be mindful that while we can increase safety, and technology can play an important part in making sure that we continue to reduce police deaths, there will never truly be an environment where we are risk free, and so we must take action appropriately to support the police. Since 1997, there have been 11 deaths of Victoria Police officers in the great state of Victoria. Nationally, that figure is 61. It's still too high—tragically high—and we again acknowledge very much the sacrifice that people have made in pursuit of our safety in these difficult circumstances.

It goes to the heart of the concern that many people have around crime and safety, because we know full well that, when there are deaths related to the police, it's because of an issue of unrest which has escalated to the point of people's deaths. We've seen too many incidents around the country where police officers, as well as the general community, have been placed in a severe position of risk. Within the Goldstein community, we had an event earlier this year, the Brighton siege, where there was an individual who decided to take an extreme act inspired by his mad ideology. This led to one civilian death of a young man working in a local hotel. In the end, to arrest and tackle the person who was responsible, the police were compelled to put themselves in harm's way in front of a gunman. Thankfully no police died on this occasion, but it does show you that no matter where you are in the country, even in a community as wonderful as Goldstein, sometimes you have these problems and that we all have a collective responsibility as representatives of the state to support and resource police so that they can make sure they can do anything. I know that's not just my very strong view but the view of the state parliamentary colleagues who I share the Goldstein community with, David Southwick, Louise Asher and Murray Thompson, and also those people who seek to replace them, James Newbury, Brad Rowswell and, in the case of the Bentleigh community, Asher Judah, who all place community safety and, in consequence, police safety at the heart of one of the key motivators that have led them to seek political office.

It's when we work together on these issues that we can have the most important and powerful voice for change and for making sure we secure that future. That's why I'd like to pay recognition to the motion and the spirit in which it was introduced and also, particularly, to say thanks to the Victoria Police and all police officers serving around our great nation. You have our thanks for your service to our community and to our country.

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