Labor pains as Parliament spotlight on cops and Gold Coast cutbacks
THE State Government has confirmed a drug squad will not be based on the Gold Coast despite soaring overdoses in the city. Here’s why.
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LABOR has copped a gobful in State Parliament about its funding of police on the Gold Coast.
During a tense Question Time today, the spotlight was on the Coast policing budget crisis with the LNP targeting Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Treasurer Jackie Trad and Police Minister Mark Ryan.
Their responses confirmed a drug squad will not be based on the Glitter Strip despite reports that overdoses had increased by 75 per cent in the past decade.
Labor will also not agree to allocating $60 million of leftover funds from the Commonwealth Games to policing despite concerns about a growing crime wave in the city’s fast growing northern suburbs.
The Bulletin in a special series has revealed the Coast’s police budget will be reduced and funds funnelled off to the Logan district.
The Opposition on the back of the reports asked seven questions on policing.
But the Government’s response was to target the LNP’s funding record under the previous Newman Government, rather than commit to extra officers on the tourist strip.
Opposition MPs asked the following questions:
•The Premier was asked how can she have confidence that Police Minister would keep Queenslanders safe when on October 18, in the space of one day, he gave three different figures about how many police were on the Coast.
•Why does Mr Ryan continue to claim that police numbers are an operational matter, when in fact as Minister he has power to direct the Commissioner where to allocate officers throughout the state?
•When Police Commissioner Ian Stewart was asked about police resources two weeks ago on 18 October, he said “I would love more money…” Would the Premier commit to allocating more resources for Coast police from the $60 million of leftover Commonwealth Games funds?
•The Premier was referred to a heartbreaking recent report that the number of Queenslanders dying from drug overdoses on the Coast has risen by 75% over the last decade. Every death leaves behind yet another Coast family torn apart by drugs, the Opposition said. Would the Premier explain why her Government continued to deny resources needed to establish a dedicated drug squad on the Coast?
•On Thursday 18 October, Mr Ryan had promised Queenslanders that he would ask Treasury for additional funding for more police to be allocated across Queensland. Has the Police Minister asked the Treasurer for additional resources since he promised to do so, and what was the Treasurer’s answer?
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Ms Palaszczuk in her response on the budgetary questions reminded Opposition MPs that “departments have the opportunity to come forward and present their asks to government – that is the process”.
“We have consistently made sure that the police budget goes from strength to strength,” she said.
Police deserved to get the resources they needed and the Government had provided more IPADs and new police cars, the Premier said.
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Ms Palaszczuk acknowledged any drug death was “heartbreaking” and the ice issue was nationwide.
“It is not unique to the Gold Coast and recently the Government addressed this through our ice action plan,” she said.
Ms Trad in her response confirmed that not only did Mr Ryan asked for police resources at every opportunity, he was provided with them.
“Let me say, the gall of those opposite to come into this place, to come into this place and argue the point about resourcing the police service,” Ms Trad said.
The Palaszczuk Government in almost four years had increased the police budget by almost 13 per cent, she said.
Under the LNP the increase was about three per cent which “actually represented a cut because it did not keep up with inflation”.
Mr Ryan faced a barrage of interjections as he defended the Government’s $2.4 billion capital works and operating budget for police which would see more officers across the State than ever before.
“They always laugh when I talk about the good work of the police service. Every single time. They think it’s a joke,” he said.
Speaker Curtis Pitt at the end of the session warned all MPs, saying their behaviour had been unacceptable and “the House has been disorderly”.
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