Anthony Albanese accuses Peter Dutton of playing politics on gangs
Anthony Albanese accuses Peter Dutton of ‘playing politics’ over Melbourne’s African gang problem.
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese has accused Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton of “playing politics” with serious issues, after Mr Dutton told a Sydney radio station Melburnians were scared to go to restaurants at night due to fears of street gang violence.
However, Mr Albanese conceded a “disproportionate number” of African youth as a percentage of the population had been engaged in committing crime in Victoria.
He said he had been in Melbourne last night, and did not notice any reluctance of people on the streets to go out.
“This morning I haven’t seen reluctance when travelling to and from meetings here in the CBD as well,” Mr Albanese said.
“I think Peter Dutton has a serious office as the Minister for Home Affairs, and he needs to treat that great honour with the dignity and with the respect and gravitas that it deserves.
“Playing to the crowd on Sydney radio about Melbourne doesn’t make much sense, doesn’t actually do anything to address the real issues of crime that need to be addressed.
Mr Albanese called for the issue of gang crime in Melbourne to be put “in perspective”.
“What we’ve seen on the latest figures is actually a drop for the first time in a 12 month figure of crime here in Victoria.
“We’ve also seen year on year a continuous decline in youth crime here in Victoria and people like Peter Dutton need to stop playing politics with what are serious issues and require serious responses.
“What matters here is the police’s view of these issues. There is no doubt there is a disproportionate number of African youth as a percentage of the population have been engaged in committing crime. That needs to be addressed.
“The Commonwealth government could make a contribution by actually not cutting the AFP funds, as they have, the Commonwealth government could make a contribution by not cutting new migrant services, as they have, and new support for people to get into employment and addressing those issues.”
Mr Albanese said the Andrews Labor government was employing 3000 additional police.
“It deserves better than having a Queensland minister on Sydney radio talking about Melbourne from a distance just in order to score at political point,” he said.
“I think Peter Dutton’s comments should be seen for what they are — all about politics, obviously in conjunction with the Liberal Party in Victoria, which is obviously desperate for an issue against the Andrews government that is governing effectively here in Victoria.
“The federal government could do worse than look at the Andrews government that actually has an agenda to govern.”
Andrews ‘has failed on crime’
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Andrews government had failed on crime “in the worst possible way”.
“They’ve been in denial on the problem, they have continued that denial,” he said.
“Our view is they have to step up, allow the police to do what the police believe is necessary to be engaged in active community policing and follow the plan that (Opposition Leader) Matthew Guy has set out for tougher bail and tougher sentencing laws.”
Asked whether he agreed with Mr Dutton that people were afraid of going to restaurants and night, Mr Hunt said he knew of many people in many communities who had deep concerns.
“As I said on radio yesterday, not somebody we know directly, but very close friends of one of our family’s closest friends were subject to an assault not long ago, only a couple of months ago, from an African gang, so it’s a real and pressing problem with deep community concerns, right across Victoria,” he said.
“The primary job is for the Premier to focus on protecting the people of Victoria and giving them the confidence that they are being protected.
“My view is that the number one plan is the Matthew Guy plan, but we will continue to do everything we possibly can, noting that ultimately the Victorian government has the power, the legislative authority, the resources and the responsibility to do this.”
Melbourne-based federal Labor MP Andrew Giles retweeted comments from ABC journalist Louise Milligan, who said she had “never heard a single person say they were afraid to go out to a restaurant in Melbourne”, and “never met anyone worried about ‘African’ gangs”.
“Me neither. This is loathsome, divisive and destructive stuff,” Mr Giles tweeted. “Peddling fear, and fomenting hate.”
Sudanese community members speaking out ‘encouraging’
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Barnaby Joyce said he couldn’t vouch for whether people were scared of going to restaurants because he hadn’t been hanging around Melbourne restaurants to find out.
“What I can say is you have to be matter of fact with the description of a problem and I’ve been very much encouraged by people of the Sudanese community who themselves are approaching issues within the Sudanese community and clearly pointing out the folly of people working against the Australian culture, which is the same culture that gave them freedom from sort of the outrageous process that’s happening in South Sudan and the civil war that’s happening there,” Mr Joyce told ABC radio.
“People within the community have usually the strongest voice of saying to other people within that community of saying ‘look, Australia’s an incredible country, you’re incredibly blessed and lucky to live here and the way to show respect for that is to abide by the laws of the nation’.
“I don’t think there’s any merit of not identifying the problem for what it is because that’s ignoring any possibility of a solution and what I also say is sometimes the best solution comes from within the communities themselves.”
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