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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2007-11-21 Daily Xml
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AUSTRALIAN CRIME AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION AWARDS

Ms BREUER (Giles) (15:07): My question is to the Attorney-General. Can the Attorney-General inform the house if there were any South Australian initiatives recognised in this year's Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards?

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon—Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (15:07): This is an interesting question from the member for Giles because, just recently, the Leader of the Opposition was claiming that there was no crime prevention in South Australia and he was lamenting its disappearance. It turns out that on Tuesday—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: I wish the member of this house who believes that Paul Habib Nemer should not have spent a day in gaol would not interject on me. That would be handy.

An honourable member: Who was the member? Who was it?

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: That would be the member for Heysen.

The Hon. K.O. Foley: Isobel Redmond?

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: Yes, the member for Heysen.

The SPEAKER: The member will not respond to interjections.

Mr Pengilly: You're telling porkies.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: Mr Speaker, I call upon the member for Finniss to withdraw the allegation that I am telling porkies.

The SPEAKER: If the member for Finniss accused the Attorney of telling porkies, I direct him to withdraw.

Mr PENGILLY: Mr Speaker, I am unsure whether he was telling porkies or his braces were undone. I am not sure.

The SPEAKER: If you said 'telling porkies', you must withdraw.

Mr PENGILLY: I withdraw the allegation, but his braces may have been undone.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Attorney-General.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: Because, Mr Speaker, in fact, my braces are not undone, and the member for Heysen is still a person who believes that Paul Habib Nemer should not have spent a day in gaol.

The SPEAKER: The Attorney will get to the question.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: On Tuesday 23 October the winners of the 2007 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards were announced in a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra. I am pleased to advise that four South Australian crime prevention initiatives received awards. These are the initiatives that the Leader of the Opposition says do not exist any longer.

The annual Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards are sponsored by the heads of Australian governments and members of the Australasian Police Ministers Council. The Central Violence Intervention Program, administered through the Salvation Army, was one of the three projects in Australia awarded $5,000 and a certificate of merit. The program runs a Stopping Violence group for men who are violent towards their partners or former partners. It also offers specialist services to women and children whose partner or ex-partner has been referred to the program.

The Attorney-General's Department provides annual funding to the Salvation Army to support the Central Violence Intervention Program, which totalled $222,000 in the 2007-08 financial year. The Central Northern Adelaide Health Service also received about $222,000 in funding to administer the program. A further $230,000 is provided to the Department for Correctional Services to provide specialist domestic violence services across both Adelaide and Elizabeth sites to further support these initiatives.

Radio Adelaide received recognition for the 'But what can I do?' initiative, which is designed to highlight crime prevention myths, facts, tips and traps. The project involved the production of 120 community radio crime prevention messages that provided information on how to keep yourself safe, myths about crime in the media and facts about how we all can play a part in preventing crime. The Young Women's Christian Association also received $2,000 and a certificate of merit for its Young Women and Alcohol project. This 18-month health promotion campaign aimed to increase university students' awareness of the risks of excessive alcohol consumption.

The final award winner from South Australia was the Violence Prevention Program run by the Department for Correctional Services, which received a certificate of merit. The Violence Prevention Program targets people who have had a conviction for a violent offence or an offence that involved a violent aspect. The program assists these people to learn alternatives to criminal behaviour, understand the effects of violent offending, develop positive life skills and to successfully re-engage in the community without reoffending. To date, 43 men have completed or are currently participating in the Violence Prevention Program. These programs serve as a positive reminder of the great work that both the South Australian government and the non-government sector are doing around the prevention of violence and crime in our society.

Members interjecting:

Mr VENNING: Sir, on a point of order: gambling in the house and wagering are out of order and grossly unparliamentary.

The SPEAKER: I will have to consider that point of order and perhaps report back to the house in due course.

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