STREET SAFETY, NORTH ADELAIDE

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (15:08): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the minister representing the Minister for Police a question relating to safety on the streets of North Adelaide.

Leave granted.

The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON: Calls have recently been made for appropriate and safe car parking to be made available for nurses and other patrons in light of the proposed parking restrictions around the Adelaide Oval development. My office has also received a number of calls expressing concern about this issue.

This issue highlights another increasingly problematic situation for nurses from the Women's and Children's Hospital. I am told that nurses, agency staff and students finishing a shift as early in the evening as 9pm are told that under no circumstances should they catch public transport home because of the risk of assault whilst waiting at the bus stop located in Sir Edwin Smith Avenue. This risk has increased over the last 18 months as several staff members have allegedly been assaulted whilst waiting for a bus. I might add that in this particular instance a bus stop was just across the road from where the nurse was working. It was not a long distance away and you would think that these nurses would be safe, but they are not; the same would be true of other members of the public. My questions to the minister are:

1. How many assaults in or around the Parklands in North Adelaide have been reported in the last two years in this vicinity?

2. Has there been an increase in violence in this area over the last five years?

3. What steps is the government taking to ensure the safety of nurses and other patrons in and around this area at night and whilst waiting for public transport?

4. What steps will the government take to ensure that there is sufficient safe parking in North Adelaide for our dedicated nurses and other staff members of the Women's and Children's Hospital?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:10): I thank the honourable member for her most important questions, and I will refer them to the Minister for Police in another place and bring back a response; however, I want to make a couple of comments.

It is an area that I have taken particular interest in because personally I know exactly how they feel—working as a nurse. In some hospitals, the parking arrangements for nurses, particularly in very dense city centres, are quite poor and nurses have had to walk a long way. I remember when I was working at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne it was just shocking. You had to walk for miles to get to your car, and some were down very little streets that were poorly lit.

They did have a chaperone service, but if you were getting off an evening shift and you had to work an early the next morning you had very little time to get home, get to bed and get back to work. Sometimes you would have to wait hours for the chaperone because there was a queue a mile long waiting for the chaperone to take them to their car; I never used to wait for the chaperone, I have to say, because it took too long and you would have to risk walking.

It is an issue that I have watched with interest, and I have been watching the media, particularly those comments coming from women and children about the parking restrictions that have been recently introduced around North Adelaide, particularly the Women's and Children's Hospital. Often, as I said, due to shift work the nurses have to walk quite a distance. I have to say as Minister for the Status of Women that we know most sexual assaults on women are, in fact, committed by people known to the victim and most of them in private residences.

Nevertheless, danger in public places is still obviously a concern, and I understand that the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation has raised concerns with the Adelaide City Council and that both the Adelaide City Council and the union are looking at ideas to try to address the situation, including things like parking vouchers for nurses or building additional car parking.

I understand that minister Hunter has also raised the issue with councillor David Plumridge and suggested that council supply nurses with special parking permits. Councillor Plumridge has said that the council would consider allowing the nurses to access those permitted spots, which would include mine in my street, but I would happily give it up for a nurse, I have to say, because I live quite near the Women's and Children's Hospital. I certainly encourage the ANMF to continue to work with the Adelaide City Council and the health department towards a beneficial outcome for their members' safety.