Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This evening, I want to refer to three issues in relation to policing in the electorate of Flinders. But I want to preface this by making the point that our police, whether they be on the Mornington Peninsula, around Westernport, in Koo Wee Rup, Lang Lang, Cowes, San Remo, Rosebud or Hastings, do a fantastic job. But they do a fantastic job against the considerable odds of being understaffed and undermanned through a trick of rostering. I want to refer to three particular policing issues as a means of going forward.

First, it is time to establish a 24-hour fully manned police station at Somerville. Somerville is a town which has grown dramatically over the last 17 years. It has developed in an extraordinary way. But it has challenges. All residents will tell you that there is a problem related to hooning and a problem related to safety on some evenings. This town, which is a tremendous town that has recently got a secondary college, now needs above all else a police station.

In addition to that, it must only come if there is a guarantee that the police station will be manned by police resources additional to those which are provided at Hastings. A number of senior officers at Hastings have made it absolutely clear to me that what is happening at Hastings is that a series of phantom officers are in place—people who are allegedly on the list but who are on leave for a variety of reasons. The reality is that the actual policing numbers are far lower than the policing numbers recorded by the state. So what we also need to do when we look at Somerville is protect police numbers at Hastings and make sure that those police who are simply being listed there are bolstered by real police. There is a gap between the actual number of police and the reported number of police. This is important. This is real. This has an impact on the lives of people within Hastings.

The second issue in relation to policing within the electorate of Flinders is the need to convert the police station on Philip Island to a 24-hour police station. The island has a significant population, which has grown dramatically in the last few years. I would also refer to the fact that over the Labour Day weekend, as reported in the Philip Island and San Remo Advertiser, the police stations at San Remo and at Cowes on Philip Island were left unmanned for many hours. This was at a time when the holiday population was in residence, and yet the state failed to provide adequate resources. I want to stand up for the local police. They do a great job. They do a tremendous job in protecting and doing all they can for the people of Bass Coast. But it is absolutely clear that they are denied the resources that they need to do their job properly. That is the message that you get from behind the scenes. They cannot speak out publicly, but behind the scenes they have made it absolutely clear that there is a requirement for additional resources. That is the challenge in Somerville and Hastings; it is also the challenge in relation to Philip Island and San Remo.

This brings me to the last area. I respect the fact that new police stations have been put in place over the last few years in Rosebud and in Rye. I welcome that. What I know is that the situation in Sorrento is of a building dramatically in need of if not immediate replacement then at least immediate and substantial upgrade. The police based out of Sorrento do a remarkable job. They have huge floating populations to deal with, particularly through the summer months. What they need is a rapid and immediate upgrade—although preferably a replacement and brand new police station—to ensure they can deal with the challenges that they face. They need to be adequately housed and to have the resources to do their job properly. On behalf of the members of the local community, I want to acknowledge that there is a big challenge and a big crime problem, especially in Hastings and Somerville. A new station is needed. Resources for Hastings need to be boosted. On Philip Island, the police do a tremendous job but a 24-hour manning provision is needed. In Sorrento, the police do a Herculean job but they need a new station. (Time expired)