SELECT COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY SAFETY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. R.L. Brokenshire:

That a message be sent to the House of Assembly requesting that the Minister for Education and Child Development (Hon. J.M. Rankine), a member of the House of Assembly, be permitted to attend and give evidence before the Legislative Council Select Committee on Community Safety and Emergency Services in South Australia.

(Continued from 24 July 2013.)

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (17:25): I rise on behalf of Liberal members to indicate our support for the motion. I will be brief, but I would like to indicate that the Hon. Jing Lee and I are the Liberal members on the Select Committee on Community Safety and Emergency Services in South Australia, and we have supported this motion in the committee.

The evidence given to the committee has indicated great confusion about what the Community Safety Directorate does. Along with the Hon. Mr Brokenshire, we believe that it is fair and reasonable and possibly you could describe it as essential that the minister be given an opportunity to come before the committee to explain the role of the directorate and the intention the government had with this strategy. The evidence that has come to the committee shows that there is significant confusion within the emergency services and community safety sector of the state about what was to be achieved.

The other matter is that it is fair and reasonable that the minister be given the opportunity to give to the committee the manner in which the government intended to establish appropriate funding because the evidence given to us indicated that there were no appropriation funds for the Community Safety Directorate and that it was completely taken out of the police budget. With those few words, I think that sums up why members of the Liberal Party will be supporting this motion.

Motion carried.